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FWICE president BN Tiwari seeks a pre-release screening of Manoj Bajpayee’s film for the community, amid protests and legal action in two states.
Manoj Bajpayee plays the lead in the film.
Even as the makers of Neeraj Pandey’s upcoming Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Ghooskhor Pandat have informed the Delhi High Court of their decision to change the film’s title, industry body Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has said the move alone does not address the concerns raised around the project. The organisation has now called for a mandatory screening of the film for the concerned community before any release plans are finalised.
Reacting to the latest development, FWICE president BN Tiwari said that while the decision to rename the film is a step forward, it does not resolve apprehensions about how the community is portrayed in the narrative. He stressed that the filmmakers must allow representatives to view the film before moving ahead.
“We are fine with the decision to change the title, but that alone is not enough. We would like to watch the film and understand how the community is depicted, as a title usually stems from the essence of the narrative,” Tiwari said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
Expressing surprise over the controversy surrounding a project backed by established names, Tiwari added, “We are shocked and surprised that such big names involving Neeraj and Manoj did this, and used a name of the community in the title. Title kahani se hi banta hai aur related hota hai isiliye community ke liye screening honi chaiyeh (The title is derived from the story that’s why we want a screening for the community). The film should not be released without the screening. The makers need to get a go ahead from the community before releasing it. If they get it, then we don’t have any issue with it.”
Tiwari also alleged procedural lapses by the filmmakers, claiming the title was never formally registered with the relevant film bodies. “In fact, I also reached out to other concerned bodies, and they too stated that the title is not registered with them. If they would have got the title registered with us, we would have raised our concerns at that moment only,” he said.
Warning of further action, the FWICE president said the organisation would oppose the release if the screening demand is not met. “Screening dhikhae bina nahi release hogi… Agar makers nahi mante toh non-corporation notice dal denge aur aage unke saath kaam nahi karenge (The film will not be released without a screening. If the makers do not agree, we will issue a non-cooperation notice and will not work with them going forward),” he said.
The controversy around Ghooskhor Pandat, directed by Neeraj Pandey and Ritesh Shah, began after the title was unveiled at a Netflix event earlier this month. The announcement triggered strong reactions, particularly from Brahmin organisations in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, who alleged that the title targeted a specific community and demanded a ban on the project.
In Uttar Pradesh, the state government ordered the registration of an FIR against the film’s director over the title. Protests followed at multiple locations, with effigies of the filmmakers and actor Manoj Bajpayee being burnt. A writ petition was also filed before the Delhi High Court by Mahender Chaturvedi, through advocate Vineet Jindal, seeking a stay on the film’s release.
Following the backlash, both Neeraj Pandey and Manoj Bajpayee issued a clarification stating that there was no intention to hurt sentiments and that all promotional material related to the film was being withdrawn. The ruling BJP later said that the Centre had asked the OTT platform to remove the teaser and other publicity content.
During a hearing earlier this week, Netflix informed the Delhi High Court that the producers had taken a “conscious decision” to change the title in view of the concerns raised. The platform said the new title would better reflect the film’s narrative and intent.
Taking note of this submission, the court disposed of the petition after the petitioner’s counsel stated that the grievance was limited to the film’s title, which now stood addressed following the producers’ decision.
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February 10, 2026, 17:57 IST
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