'Ghooskhor Pandat' teaser out, but now there's a court petition
The new teaser for "Ghooskhor Pandat," with Manoj Bajpayee playing a corrupt Delhi cop, has stirred up controversy over its title.
Critics say combining "ghooskhor" (bribe-taker) and "pandat" (priest/scholar) unfairly targets the Brahmin community.
The debate just got more serious—a court petition now aims to stop the film's release.
Petition claims title could lead to hate speech charges
Advocate Vineet Jindal has asked the Delhi High Court to block the movie, arguing that linking a respected social group with corruption "deliberately associates the term 'Pandat' with corruption and bribery, thereby maligning and lowering the reputation of an entire community in the eyes of the public."
The plea also claims this could count as hate speech under Indian law.
Film has received mixed reactions online
Earlier, the Film Makers Combine issued a notice and Mumbai-based lawyer Ashutosh Dubey called out the film's creators and Netflix for using a title he described as "defamatory" and "unconstitutional, socially provocative and capable of inciting disharmony."
Social media is buzzing with demands for a title change or boycott, but so far, Netflix and the producers haven't responded.