Ghooskhor Pandat renamed to Gajab Raat : Neeraj Pandey unveils trailer and release date for Manoj Bajpayee's film

After months of controversy and legal proceedings over its title, Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming film Ghooskhor Pandit has a new name. On October 15 (Thursday), filmmaker and producer Neeraj Pandey unveiled the film’s new title, dropped its trailer, and announced its release date, bringing the project back into the spotlight.

Ghooskhor Pandat title renamed

On Thursday, Neeraj Pandey and his team took to Instagram to share a major update about Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming project. Pandey unveiled the film’s new title, Gajab Raat, through a post featuring the actor standing with his back to the camera in front of a hospital emergency ward.

The post was captioned, “Ye raat kiske liye kitni gajab hogi ye toh waqt hi batayega 🤫👀 Watch Gajab Raat, trailer out today, only on Netflix.”

Also Read: Ghooskhor Pandat controversy: FWICE demands pre-release screening of film

Gajab Raat trailer out

After announcing the film’s new title, the team also shared its trailer. It opens with a tense sequence in which a young girl is thrown out of a moving car and then taken to a hospital in critical condition, fighting for her life.

Also Read: Ghooskhor Pandat row: FWICE expresses objection to film's title

Manoj Bajpayee plays a morally disciplined police officer assigned to the case. He finds himself deeply conflicted, caught between his duty to uncover the truth and the temptation to seek personal gain or manipulate the investigation. The trailer also introduces key characters played by Divya Dutta, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and Akshay Oberoi.

Along with the trailer, the team announced the release date in a post that read, “Anek kahaaniyaan, anek kirdaar aur sirf ek raat to disclose the truth. 👀😳 Watch Gajab Raat, out 23 October, only on Netflix.”

Ghooskhor Pandat controversy

In February 2026, Netflix India shared the first teaser for Manoj Bajpayee’s upcoming crime thriller. In the teaser, the actor plays a corrupt police officer nicknamed Pandat. The film was previously titled Ghooskhor Pandat.

Several social media users and members of the community criticised the film, arguing that the title disrespected their community identity. They said that pairing a term associated with the corruption slur (ghooskhor) with a traditional community identity was unacceptable.

Also Read: BJP confirms Centre directed Netflix to remove Ghooskhor Pandat teaser

The backlash prompted the makers to withdraw the promotional videos and material from all the social media platforms and agree to rename the project. Amid the criticism, producer Neeraj Pandey issued a statement on his official Instagram account, acknowledging that the title had hurt some viewers. He further explained that the project was a fictional cop drama and that the term, Pandat, was intended as the fictional name of a character, rather than a reference to any particular community.

Following the criticism, the Uttar Pradesh government also filed an FIR at Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station against Netflix and the filmmakers, alleging that the title threatened social harmony and promoted animosity.

The Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) also objected to the title, saying that it might hurt the sentiments of people and create social discord. The case went to the Supreme Court of India, which said that the title had the potential to disturb public peace and directed the team to change it. The court also made it clear that the film could not move forward until the title was changed.

On February 19, Neeraj Pandey submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court, confirming that the name had been officially withdrawn and that there was no malicious intent to demean any community.