Neeraj Pandey renamed his thriller Ghooskhor Pandat to Gajab Raat after facing legal trouble. On February 19, 2026, the Supreme Court disposed of the petition as the director confirmed the original title was withdrawn. The film shows Manoj Bajpayee as a cop. The makers agreed to change it to avoid controversy.
The backlash prompted the makers to withdraw the promotional material and agree to rename the project. The matter eventually reached the courts. Amid the criticism, director Neeraj Pandey issued a statement acknowledging that the title had hurt some viewers. He maintained that the project was a fictional cop drama and that ‘Pandat’ was intended as the colloquial name of a fictional character, rather than a reference to any particular community. He added that the story focused on an individual’s actions and choices and did not comment on or represent any caste, religion or community.
The controversy took a legal turn when the Uttar Pradesh government ordered an FIR against the film’s makers over the disputed title. An FIR was registered at Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station amid allegations that the title hurt caste and religious sentiments. The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) also objected to the title, arguing that provocative film titles could hurt sentiments and create social discord. Petitions seeking to prevent the film’s release were subsequently filed in the Delhi High Court.
On February 10, 2026, Netflix informed the Delhi High Court that the producer had consciously decided to change the title in light of the concerns raised. The court subsequently disposed of the petition after the petitioner indicated that the grievance had been addressed.
The matter also reached the Supreme Court. On February 12, 2026, a bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan questioned the makers over the title and directed them to confirm its withdrawal and provide details of the replacement name. The court made it clear that it would not permit the film’s release unless the title was changed.
On February 19, 2026, the Supreme Court disposed of the petition after Neeraj Pandey submitted an affidavit confirming that the original title had been withdrawn. He also undertook that the new title, once finalised, would neither resemble nor evoke the earlier name and would accurately reflect the film’s narrative and intent.