The film fraternity’s governing bodies have turned their backs on the makers of the beleaguered film, Ghooskhor Pandat. On Saturday, the President of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, BN Tiwari, condemned the use of ‘Pandat’ in the film’s title, adding that strict action should be taken against the makers, and FWICE will not cooperate with them.
Ghooskhor Pandat stars Manoj Bajpayee in the lead role.FWICE President condemns Ghooskhor Pandat
In an interview with news agency ANI, Tiwari demanded a ban on the film’s director, producer, and streaming platform Netflix.
“I have a serious objection to the use of the word Pandat in this title. No matter whose surname it is, we make films for the entertainment of the people. I strongly oppose producers and directors who insult any community. Such people have no right to make films. Those who play with the sentiments of people, whether they are producers, Netflix, or any other platform that streams such films, should be banned, and action should be taken against them,” said BN Tiwari.
The FWICE is a body of film workers, one of the largest in India. Tiwari, who heads the organisation’s board of officials, said that the society and organisation will not cooperate with such films anymore. “Times have changed. Earlier, when such films were released, there was no social media, and even if viewers were hurt, their voices were not widely heard. That will not work anymore. We won’t tolerate it now. Whoever, producer or director may be, we will completely refuse to cooperate with them,” added FWICE President.
What is the controversy about?
The row emerges from the use of ‘ghooskhor’ ahead of Pandat in the title. Ghooskhor is a Hindi word for one who takes bribes, denoting corruption. Pandat is a colloquial term used for Brahmins. Following the film’s announcement on Tuesday, many Brahmin organisations said they took offence to the title as it stereotyped the community. Protests erupted in several parts of the country on Friday, and an FIR was registered in Lucknow on UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s directive. It accuses the makers of hurting caste sentiments.
The makers react to row
Meanwhile, Neeraj Pandey, the film’s producer, released a statement clarifying that the film is not against any community and also took down all of the film’s promotional material, including a first look teaser.
Ghooskhor Pandat stars Manoj Bajpayee in the lead and is directed by Ritesh Shah, who makes his directorial debut with the film. It is slated to release on Netflix later this year.