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In a bizarre motion, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting, following a complaint that the title of the forthcoming film, Ghooskhor Pandat (A pandit who habitually takes bribes) “promotes negative stereotypes” and “vilifies a recognized social group.”
The film, set to release on Netflix sometime later, is produced and written by Neeraj Pandey, the same man who has given us patriotic sagas galore (A Wednesday!, Baby, Naam Shabana and Aiyaary besides the series, the Special Opsfranchise, The Freelancer and Taskaree). His motives are now being questioned in this dubious move. For answer, Pandey as well as Netflix have removed all promotional material for the film.
Said Pandey, “As a filmmaker, I approach my work with a deep sense of responsibility—to tell stories that are thoughtful and respectful. The film has bene created with sincere intent and solely to entertain. My film is fiction and the title “Pandat” is used simply as a colloquial name for a fictional character. It does not comment on or represent any caste, religion or community.” The Pandits are a known community, and scholars and authorities on any subject, and even Hindu priests are also called by that collective term.
However, respecting the backlash (“We know the title has caused hurt to some viewers and we acknowledge their feelings!”), Pandey has pulled down all promotional material and said that the film must should be experienced in its entirety and understood in the context of what they intended to tell.
Manoj Bajpayee, who plays the title-role, also told Bombay Times, “I am portraying a flawed individual, and in my long experience of working with Neeraj Pandey, there has been a consistent seriousness and care in how he approaches his work. This is reflected now in how he has taken down the promotional material.”
Incidentally, thanks to his work, Pandey shares deep friendships with intelligence, army and police officers, who also often provide him with not just insights but even inspirations for his plots!
Mardaani 3 has also been targeted in a very unusual manner. In the last seven days, several videos and messages that have gone viral online have claimed that there has been a sudden increase in missing people, especially children! One report even claimed that 800 children went missing in January. There are insinuations about all this being a promotional move for the film.
Yash Raj Films, the banner behind Mardaani 3 that tackles this problem, have strongly denied their associations with such videos as promotional tools for their film. The Mumbai Police as well as Delhi Police have been urged to take action against the social media handles that have spread this canard. A statement from YRF, again quoted in Bombay Times, states, “We have immense trust in our authorities that they will share all facts and truths in due course of time.”
Much ado about nothing indeed.
