Ritesh Shah’s directorial Gajab Raat released on Netflix this Friday. The Manoj Bajpayee-starrer is a thriller that tells the story of one night and sees a cop with no morals trying to do the right thing. But the film wasn’t always called Gajab Raat. When Netflix first announced it in February, its title was Ghooskhor Pandat, something that generated huge amount of online backlash, forcing the makers to withdraw all promotional material and change the title.
Manoj Bajpayee and Neeraj Pandey on Ghooskhor Pandat row
As the film releases, actor Manoj Bajpayee and writer-producer Neeraj Pandey talk to Hindustan Times about the Ghooskhor Pandat controversy, and why they were unfazed by it.
Gajab Raat releases eight months after the controversy that led to threats, trolling, and even court cases against the makers. But Neeraj Pandey maintains that he never felt the row would dominate the chatter around the film when it releases. When asked if he was nervous about what the film would be known for, the filmmaker said, “Not really, because we moved away from that touchpoint. We made it very clear that it is completely unrelated to whatever the chatter was. We wanted the film to be seen as it was and as we had set out to make it.”
‘The film has nothing to do with what was perceived’
Contrary to what many believe, Gajab Raat was not postponed due to the controversy. “ It was not supposed to come out on any other date but October 23, by the way,” Neeraj adds. Actor Manoj Bajpayee explains that the original title announcement took place as part of Netflix India’s 2026 slate launch, when the film was still in production. “The whole episode happened when Netflix announced its slate. That was not necessarily our time to release it. We were still in post-production,” he explained. Talking about his expectations from what the audience takes away from the film, he said, “Our focus is the film and we want people to watch it the way it is. That is how it should be.”
{{/usCountry}}Contrary to what many believe, Gajab Raat was not postponed due to the controversy. “ It was not supposed to come out on any other date but October 23, by the way,” Neeraj adds. Actor Manoj Bajpayee explains that the original title announcement took place as part of Netflix India’s 2026 slate launch, when the film was still in production. “The whole episode happened when Netflix announced its slate. That was not necessarily our time to release it. We were still in post-production,” he explained. Talking about his expectations from what the audience takes away from the film, he said, “Our focus is the film and we want people to watch it the way it is. That is how it should be.”
{{/usCountry}}Neeraj Pandey also said he feels the film itself has moved on from whatever happened and people understand that the controversy was just unfortunate. “It is evident from the trailer that it has nothing to do with what was perceived,” he said.
All about Gajab Raat
Directed by Ritesh Shah and produced by Neeraj Pandey's Friday Storytellers, Gajab Raat follows Ajay Nirvit, a cop whose act of compassion towards an injured woman draws him into a high-level conspiracy and a deadly game that unfolds over a single night.
Gajab Raat also stars Divya Dutta, Saqib Saleem, Shraddha Das, and Akshay Oberoi, with Kiku Sharda and Nushrratt Bharuccha in special appearances. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
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