Manoj Bajpayee: Trolls Attacked My Wife and Daughter
Manoj Bajpayee opens up about the moment anonymous trolls targeted his wife and daughter after the Ghooskhor Pandat title row; the film is now Gajab Raat.
Manoj Bajpayee has spent decades being judged as an actor. But he says there is one line that still gets to him: when anonymous trolls bring his wife and daughter into a film controversy. In a recent interview with PTI, he opened up about the fallout from the original title of his Netflix film.
The title that sparked the storm
The film, directed by Ritesh Shah, was announced by Netflix in February as Ghooskhor Pandat. Several politicians and organisations called the title casteist and offensive, and the backlash quickly grew online. The makers eventually changed the title, but Manoj says the attacks did not stop there.
“What really concerned me and offended me to no bits is when they started publishing the photo(s) of my family and saying things,” he said. He added that he is thick-skinned when people abuse him, because years of rejection and criticism have prepared him for that. His family, though, is different.
Manoj is married to actor Shabana Raza, known for films such as Kareeb and Fiza, and they have a daughter. He told PTI that the accounts targeting them were nameless and faceless, which left him with nobody to confront: “I’m very confrontational… But who could I confront because there are nameless people out there.”
Why the family line matters
This is not only a story about one actor. It shows how a public backlash over a film title can slide from criticism of the work into publishing private family photos and abuse. Even a star who says he can take “the worst thing” online can be left feeling helpless when the target changes. His remarks arrive just as the retitled film reaches a wide audience on Netflix.
- The original title drew political and social media backlash before it was changed.
- Manoj says trolls then moved from the title to his wife and daughter.
- He felt he had no one to answer because the accounts were anonymous.
What you can do when you see it
If you spot an anonymous account sharing a star’s family photos or abuse, the healthiest move is to report and block — and resist the urge to repost. Amplifying an anonymous attack gives it exactly what it wants. Keeping the argument about the film, not the people behind it, is the better way to disagree.
The film today
Retitled Gajab Raat and produced by Neeraj Pandey’s Friday Storytellers, the film follows cop Ajay Nirvit after an act of compassion pulls him into a high-level conspiracy over one night. It stars Divya Dutta, Saqib Saleem, Shraddha Das and Akshay Oberoi, with Kiku Sharda and Nushrratt Bharuccha in special appearances. The film began streaming on Netflix on Friday, October 23.
Source: Hindustan Times
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