New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati criticised the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer Netflix film Ghooskhor Pandit for hurting the sentiments of a particular caste. She demanded a ban on the movie and legal action be taken, calling it insulting and disrespectful.
After announcing the movie title, outrage was seen among the Brahmin community, and amid the raging over it, Mayawati stated, “It has caused widespread anger within the Brahmin community, and the party strongly condemns it.”
Earlier, the BSP leader took a stance against the UGC’s equity rules, citing the caste-based discrimination by the upper caste in higher educational institutions. Now days after, Mayawati was seen standing with upper-caste representation. She hits “for ensuring proper representation of upper-caste communities in enquiry committees as part of natural justice.”
Mayawati quoted Neeraj Pandey’s Ghooskhor Pandit movie, ‘casteist,’ and demanded a ban on the movie.
“The BSP demands that the Central government immediately ban such a caste-targeting film or web series, Ghooskhor Pandit. In this context, the registration of an FIR by the Lucknow Police is an appropriate step,” the former Uttar Pradesh CM added.
Mayawati’s stand with upper-castes
The BSP supremo’s stand on UGC equity rules and Ghooskhor Pandit comes when the Uttar Pradesh elections are just one year away. BSP is the party backed by the Dalits, but in 2007, when Mayawati formed the government in UP, she brought together SCs, STs, OBCs, and upper castes.
With just a movie title announcement, Ghooskhor Pandit is in trouble as Neeraj Pandey’s film allegedly hurt religious and caste sentiments.
Meanwhile, a writ petition has already been filed in the Delhi High Court, as the petitioner wanted an immediate stay on the film’s release. The petitioner is in defence of the Brahmin community, as the movie is linked to corruption.
The filmmaker Neeraj Pandey withdrew all promotional material amid the outrage, and Neeraj and Manoj Bajpayee confirmed that the title was only a character’s nickname in a fictional drama.