Manoj Bajpayee's ‘Ghooskhor Pandat’ renamed ‘Gajab Raat’, to release on 23 Oct

Manoj Bajpayee and filmmaker Neeraj Pandey's upcoming crime thriller, originally titled Ghooskhor Pandat, has been renamed Gajab Raat and will premiere on Netflix on 23 October, the streaming platform announced on Thursday.

Directed by Ritesh Shah and produced by Pandey's banner Friday Storytellers, the film follows a police officer caught between personal gain and doing what he believes is right. His decision sets off a chain of events over the course of a single night, Netflix said in a press release.

The film also stars Saqib Saleem, Shraddha Das, Akshay Oberoi, Divya Dutta, Kiku Sharda and Nushrratt Bharuccha in pivotal roles.

Gajab Raat marks the reunion of Bajpayee and Pandey after nearly a decade. Bajpayee, who also collaborated with Netflix on the 2025 film Inspector Zende, said his association with the platform had been an exciting journey.

He said he was drawn to characters who were difficult to define, adding that the film explored suspense, moral dilemmas and accountability as the characters' motivations unfolded through the night.

Pandey said the thriller examined how people's choices could lead them into situations with no easy answers. He also expressed excitement about reuniting with Bajpayee and introducing Shah as a director.

Shah, whose writing credits include Kahaani, Pink, Airlift and Raid, said his interest in thrillers had shaped the film's approach, with its single-night setting intended to build urgency and raise the stakes.

Netflix had announced the film in February under the title Ghooskhor Pandat. The name triggered a social media backlash, with users, politicians and organisations calling it casteist and offensive.

The controversy led to the registration of first information reports (FIRs) and a notice from the National Human Rights Commission to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The matter also reached the Supreme Court, where the makers informed the court that the title would be changed.