Ghooskhor Pandat title sparks row

New Delhi/Mumbai: Hindi film "Ghooskhor Pandat" sparked a controversy on Friday over its title with politicians and social media users calling it casteist, prompting filmmaker Neeraj Pandey and lead star Manoj Bajpayee to issue a clarification, saying the intention was not to cause hurt and they are withdrawing all the publicity material related to the movie.

The film, which is produced by Pandey and portrays Bajpayee as a corrupt cop, was announced on Tuesday during a Netflix event in Mumbai. After the film's teaser was unveiled, the title triggered an outrage on social media with many users saying that it portrays a particular community in bad light. The UP Police has registered an FIR against the film's director on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The case was registered at the Hazratganj police station late on Thursday night. In a statement, the Uttar Pradesh government said the action was taken on charges of spreading social animosity, hurting religious and caste sentiments, and attempting to disturb public peace. A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the Centre has asked Netflix to remove the teaser and other promotional contents of the film from social media.

"Taking swift action in the matter, the Centre has asked Netflix to remove the teaser and all other promotional contents of the film. Such a kind of thing, which is against any society, is completely unacceptable," a senior BJP leader said.

The crime thriller follows Bajpayee's Ajay Dikshit, also known as Pandat, a corrupt police officer whose plans for a lucrative and eventful night are disrupted when he finds himself caught in the middle of a global conspiracy unfolding in the heart of Delhi. The film is directed by Ritesh Shah, who has also penned the story with Pandey.