Manoj Bajpayee has broken his silence on the ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ controversy, saying he was deeply hurt by the abuse and death threats directed at him and his family, his wife and teenage daughter, over the film’s title. The actor clarified the intent behind the film, defended the makers’ willingness to address concerns, and drew a sharp line between legitimate criticism and online toxicity.
Manoj Bajpayee said he saw no problem with the title
The actor made it clear that the decision to name the film was not his. In an interview to NDTV, he said, “When a film is nominated, actors are usually not part of that process. But if the OTT platform and my director decided to go with a particular title, I personally didn’t see any problem.”Despite being comfortable with the original title, Manoj said the makers responded in good faith to public objections and moved quickly to resolve the issue. He added, “but there was a section where he expressed his reservations through social media. For those people, we decided to change the title. When we approached the courts, we were ready to change the title. In one hearing, everything was taken care of.”
Manoj Bajpayee Clarifies He Was Not ‘Pandit’
Manoj Bajpayee also revealed the character at the center of the film, contrary to the belief that the title was aimed at an entire community. He said, “When we are talking about Pandit or Ghooskhor, we are not talking about every person. We are talking about this character. In this film, what is this character called? He is not a Pandit. He is a Pandat. He is very popular with the nickname given to him by the police department. He is Delhi Police official”.
Manoj Bajpayee talks about receiving death threats
The harshest part of Manoj’s response was when he addressed the personal attacks on him and his family. His words made it clear that what worried him was not the criticism itself, but the manner in which it was delivered. He said: “But tell me, how is it right to send death threats? How is it right to drag my family into the whole picture and use all kinds of obscene language? What is the fault of my family? If my family has female members you are talking about. To what extent do you think it is right to belittle a woman who has no responsibility to name the film?’The actor continued the question, “How fair is it to send death threats to me, who as an actor is part of that? Death threats? Because of the name? I mean, just because of the name.”
Manoj Bajpayee talks about his influence on his family
In the same interview, the actor said that navigating the chaos of social media made it hard to know whose critics to take seriously. He said: “Bots and trolls are everywhere, and it’s really hard to know who to take seriously and who not. So I was disappointed. I really don’t know. I felt bad for my family members, unrelated people. They were talking about my 15-year-old daughter. They were talking about my wife,” he said.
More about the film
The title issue has been resolved after a court case, and the film is expected to be released on Netflix. The film follows a Delhi police officer navigating the world of Delhi police.
