A controversy has emerged around Netflix’s upcoming projectGhooskhor Pandatafter a Mumbai-based advocate issued a legal notice alleging that the film’s title is defamatory and targets a specific community. The notice was sent shortly after the teaser of the film was unveiled at a public event.
The film stars actor Manoj Bajpayee in the role of senior inspector Ajay Dixit, a Delhi police officer referred to in the teaser by the nickname “Pandat.” According to the teaser, the character joined the police force as a sub-inspector nearly two decades ago but has remained at the same rank, earning notoriety for his alleged corrupt practices.
Advocate Ashutosh Dubey, who issued the legal notice, has demanded the immediate withdrawal or modification of the film’s title. He describedGhooskhor Pandatas “defamatory, community-vilifying, unconstitutional, and socially incendiary,” arguing that it unjustly associates corruption and moral wrongdoing with the word “Pandit.”
The notice states that the term Pandit holds deep cultural, religious, and intellectual significance in Indian civilisation and traditionally represents scholarship, ethical conduct, and spiritual authority. According to Dubey, combining the word with a term associated with bribery and corruption unfairly assigns criminality to an entire community.
The notice further argues that corruption is an individual failing and should not be portrayed as a community characteristic. It alleges that using a community-linked identifier instead of a neutral or fictional name reflects a disregard for social sensitivity and promotes harmful stereotyping under the guise of creative expression.
The advocate has also asserted that artistic freedom does not extend to humiliating or vilifying a community, especially when the potential harm is foreseeable and far-reaching. As of now, Netflix and the makers ofGhooskhor Pandathave not issued an official response to the legal notice.
