Actor Manoj Bajpayee and filmmaker Neeraj Pandey have addressed the controversy surrounding their recent Netflix thriller, Gajab Raat, which faced significant public scrutiny earlier this year due to its original working title. Initially announced in February as Ghooskhor Pandat, the film drew substantial online backlash, resulting in threats, trolling, and legal action against the production team. In response to the outcry, the makers opted to withdraw promotional materials and eventually retitled the project.
As the film premiered on the streaming platform this Friday, both Bajpayee and Pandey spoke about their reaction to the period of unrest. Despite the intensity of the criticism, the creators stated that they remained unfazed and did not believe the controversy would overshadow the final product. Pandey emphasized that the team intentionally distanced themselves from the earlier title, focusing instead on the film as it was originally conceptualized.
"We moved away from that touchpoint," Pandey explained during an interview. "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." According to the producer, it was important to ensure that the audience understood the film had evolved beyond the initial perceptions formed during the announcement phase.
Addressing speculation regarding whether the row delayed the film’s release, Pandey clarified that the project was never rescheduled due to the protests. The film maintained its planned release date of October 23 throughout the development process. Bajpayee added context to the timeline, noting that the original title was revealed during a broader Netflix India slate announcement while the film was still in the middle of post-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," Bajpayee stated. The actor expressed a desire for audiences to engage with the story on its own merits rather than through the lens of the previous controversy. Both he and Pandey maintained that the trailer and final cut of the film make it evident that the content does not align with the earlier negative perceptions.
Directed by Ritesh Shah and produced by Neeraj Pandey’s Friday Storytellers, Gajab Raat is a thriller centered on the events of a single night. The narrative follows a character named Ajay Nirvit, a police officer who finds himself embroiled in a high-stakes conspiracy and a dangerous sequence of events after showing compassion toward an injured woman. The film explores the moral complexities of a protagonist operating in a high-pressure environment.
The production features an ensemble cast, including Divya Dutta, Saqib Saleem, Shraddha Das, and Akshay Oberoi. Additionally, the film includes special appearances by Kiku Sharda and Nushrratt Bharuccha. As the film is now available for streaming, the creators hope the focus will shift entirely to the thriller’s plot and character development. Pandey noted that viewers have largely recognized that the prior controversy was an unfortunate, isolated incident that does not reflect the film's final narrative direction.
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