Manoj Bajpayee has reacted to the controversy surrounding his upcoming Netflix film Ghooskhor Pandat. The star revealed that he received threats and even saw his family being dragged into the issue after objections were raised over the film’s title.
The actor spoke about the matter during a recent conversation with PTI, where he admitted that the backlash came as a surprise to the team. Soon after Netflix unveiled its 2026 slate, Ghooskhor Pandat became one of the most talked-about projects, but not for the reasons its makers had hoped. An FIR was filed against the film’s makers, alleging that its title and content hurt religious sentiments.
Following the criticism, the team issued an apology and later informed the Delhi High Court that the film would be released under a new title.
Looking back at the controversy, Manoj Bajpayee said the situation affected everyone involved in the project. He also shared that he personally received threats during that period.
“We didn’t expect it. But when it happened, in two days’ time we put out our apology. If anything is offending anyone with that much of intensity, we as creative people are always there to mend our ways or correct ourselves. I personally feel that the title change is not going to be such a huge thing, we are creative people, we can come up with ten different titles and they will be equally exciting,” Manoj Bajpayee said.
The actor added that despite the threats, he continued travelling and carrying on with his work without fear. He also spoke about the online criticism that followed the controversy and how he chose not to engage with it.
“But I must tell you that when the threats were coming to me, I was also travelling continuously without any fear. When people are trolling you, abusing you and getting your family into the whole thing, I feel empathy for them. The film talks about something else. But I think on social media now people are impatient and they are eager and desperate to come out with their opinion without even knowing fully about the subject matter. I’m a person who is very curious for knowledge, I’m a well-educated person, and I don’t have any intention, I don’t have that energy and time to argue with people, who are that impatient with their opinion or who are not even bothering to educate themselves. So, why to argue with them? Don’t get into the mud with the people who like to roll you into the mud,” Manoj Bajpayee concluded.
The first-look teaser of the film, released during Netflix’s Next on Netflix 2026 event, was later taken down. The film stars Manoj Bajpayee alongside Nushrratt Bharuccha, Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi and Divya Dutta. Written by Neeraj Pandey and Ritesh Shah, the project marks Ritesh’s directorial debut.
