Ghooskhor to Kerala Story, the slippery slope of hurt sentiments

Mar 14, 2026 | 18:14 IST

‘The Kerala Story’ sparked allegations of denigrating a minority community

While courts have upheld free speech, the 'Ghooskhor Pandat' case highlights the tension, suggesting box-office success often follows controversy, regardless of bans

What’s in a name? Plenty, as Indian filmmakers are discovering. The producer of ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ recently agreed to withdraw the title after the Supreme Court said it would not allow the film’s release unless the name was changed because it denigrated one community. But such observations raise some important questions.

Were the makers of ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ referring to an entire community or a particular individual when they chose this name? If it was an individual, were they referring to an actual person or an imaginary character? If it referred only to a fictional character as the filmmaker argued, weren’t those outraged simply tilting at windmills?

TOI

TOI

Ghooskhor to Kerala Story, the slippery slope of hurt sentiments

While courts have upheld free speech, the 'Ghooskhor Pandat' case highlights the tension, suggesting box-office success often follows controversy, regardless of bans

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TOI

Ghooskhor to Kerala Story, the slippery slope of hurt sentiments

While courts have upheld free speech, the 'Ghooskhor Pandat' case highlights the tension, suggesting box-office success often follows controversy, regardless of bans

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