Manoj Bajpayee said that trolls shared his young daughter's photo online amid the Ghooskhor Pandat title controversy.
He said he felt that assault every hour.
The actor revealed he consulted his legal team after his family faced online attacks.
Manoj Bajpayee-led Ghooskhor Pandat has been retitled Gajab Raat. The rename came following objections to the original title. It will premiere on Netflix today. In one of his interviews, Manoj shared how the controversy affected his family, as he revealed that trolls shared pictures of his young daughter online, which led him to consult his legal team.
Manoj Bajpayee on trolls targeting his family amid Ghooskhor Pandat row
In an interview with India Today, Manoj spoke about the online trolling he and his family had to face due to the controversy. He said, "You know why it affected me? Because they brought my family into it."
The actor also recalled being a victim of anonymous online users targeting his family. "They published and posted a picture of my family and said all sorts of things. The only thing was that their names were not mentioned. Who was the guy who had done it? If his name had been mentioned...When these bots are active and there are trolls without faces and without names, who are you going to...?", he added.
Expresses concerns for family
The Governor actor said he is concerned about his family, adding, "It was very brutal on their part to put my little daughter's face out there and say all sorts of things, without even having the guts to mention their own names."
He recalled feeling that assault every hour. "I was consulting my legal team. I was also consulting all the bureaucrats who have been my friends for so many years. And all of them told me only one thing: 'Manoj, ignore it. Right now, you can only ignore it,'" he said further.
About Ghooskhor Pandat title controversy
The dispute centred on the original title. There were objections, especially from the Brahmin community, to using the term ‘Pandat’ alongside corruption and bribery, with critics arguing that the name linked a community identity to wrongdoing.
A petition in the Delhi High Court asked for the film’s release to be halted, claiming that the title could damage the dignity and standing of the Brahmin community.
Netflix told the court that the producers had deliberately picked a new title after the objections, and that the revised name fit the film’s story and purpose better. Once the petitioner accepted that move, the court ended the case.
Coming back to Gajab Raat, the film is produced by Neeraj Pandey’s Friday Film Works and directed by Ritesh Shah.
Divya Dutta, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Saqib Saleem, Kiku Sharda and Akshay Oberoi round out the cast.
