Actor Manoj Bajpayee's upcoming Netflix film ‘Ghuskhor Pandit’ has been triggering a controversy since its announcement, thanks to the title of the movie, which uses the word ‘Pandit’. However, the streaming giant will now have no option but to change the name of the movie after the Supreme Court rapped the makers, stating it was utterly wrong to insult any community.
The top court also sought clarification from Netflix and filmmaker Neeraj Pandey, asking them to inform the court if they were proposing a new name. The court noted such names are often chosen for publicity and to stir controversy. This comment came during the hearing, when the bench insisted on a clear answer within a few hours.
A bench headed by Justice B.V. Nagarathna strongly reprimanded the producer of the movie. "It is wrong to insult any class. There is already so much division in society. Do not encourage this," the judge said. “You have talked about changing the name. Tell us what you are going to use. Also, tell us whether your film contains anything offensive about any class," the judge said.
"We support freedom of expression. But you should know that this freedom is bound by certain limits."
“Although Article 19(2) of the Constitution prohibits harming national security, morality, and law and order, we believe that social harmony also falls under this category. It is wrong to insult any class. There are already so many divisions in society. Do not encourage this,” the court observed.
The court said, "How can we sit idle when there are so many rifts in society?"
The court’s observation was in response to a petition filed by Atul Mishra, secretary of the Brahmin Samaj of India. The petition alleges that the film's title, "Ghuskhor Pandit," hurts the sentiments of a particular community and portrays it in a negative light. The petitioners argue that such titles send a wrong message to society and can fuel social and communal tension. On this basis, a demand has been made to the Supreme Court to ban the release and online streaming of the film.
The lawyer representing the film's producer, Neeraj Pandey, informed the Supreme Court that the Delhi High Court had also heard several petitions related to the matter, and the producer agreed to change the film's name. Upon receiving this information, the High Court suspended the hearing.
The Supreme Court also scheduled the next hearing for February 19th.
The film producer informed the court that following the controversy, the film's trailer had been removed from social media, and the process of changing the film's name had also been initiated.