Manoj Bajpayee's Gajab Raat trailer out; renamed Netflix film premieres October 23

Netflix released the trailer of Manoj Bajpayee's new thriller Gajab Raat on Thursday, October 15, 2026, confirming that the film, earlier announced as Ghooskhor Pandat, will premiere on the streaming service on October 23, 2026. The film is directed by Ritesh Shah and produced by Neeraj Pandey, reuniting Pandey and Bajpayee after nearly a decade. In the trailer, Bajpayee plays a corrupt police officer caught up in events over a single night. The new name follows months of controversy over the original title, which drew protests, a police complaint and court proceedings before the makers agreed to change it.

The film is a test case for how Indian streaming platforms handle titles and content that some groups find offensive. When the project was announced in February 2026 as Ghooskhor Pandat, critics argued that pairing the word for a bribe-taker with "Pandat", a term associated with the Brahmin community, stereotyped that community. Protests followed, a First Information Report was registered in Lucknow, and the matter reached the courts. Neeraj Pandey defended the film as a fictional police drama and said the word was only a character's informal name, but Netflix withdrew the teaser and promotions.

The renaming shows how quickly such disputes can force changes before release. For streaming services, which are not subject to pre-certification by the film censor board in the way cinema releases are, public pressure and litigation have become the main checks on content. Several recent Indian shows and films have changed scenes, names or dialogue after complaints. The Gajab Raat case adds to that pattern, and may make producers more cautious when choosing titles that refer to castes or communities.

For viewers, the trailer also marks the return of a successful pairing. Pandey, known for thrillers such as A Wednesday and Special 26, and Bajpayee, one of the most respected actors in Hindi cinema and the lead of the hit series The Family Man, have a loyal audience for grounded crime stories. A film about a corrupt officer over one night fits squarely in that space.

Short-term: The trailer has drawn attention partly because of the earlier controversy, which may help the film's viewership when it premieres on October 23. With the title changed, the immediate legal obstacles to release appear to have been addressed.

Long-term: The episode is likely to be cited in future debates over creative freedom and community sentiment. Producers and platforms may vet titles more carefully at the announcement stage to avoid costly delays and rebranding.

Who is affected: Netflix and the film's producers, who had to rework their marketing; the cast and crew, whose release was delayed; community groups that objected to the original title; and viewers of Hindi crime thrillers.

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