Manoj Bajpayee, Neeraj Pandey Reunite for Netflix Thriller…

Bajpayee & Pandey Return With A Night That Won’t End

Gajab Raat: October 23, Netflix. One night. No easy answers.

By Call Sheet15 Oct 20261 min read

Current hype level91

Manoj Bajpayee and Neeraj Pandey are back together — not for a heist, not for a war, but for a night that won’t end. Gajab Raat, the Netflix thriller announced Thursday, marks their reunion after Special 26 and Aiyaary, now set to premiere on October 23. The film, previously titled Ghooskhor Pandat, has undergone a name change following backlash over alleged community insensitivity.

No further details on the controversy were provided by the makers. Still, the shift from the original title to Gajab Raat, a phrase that translates to 'wild night'. Suggests a pivot toward tone over provocation. The story centers on a cop, played by Bajpayee, investigating a murder in a single, escalating night.

The trailer hints at a tightly wound narrative where every choice carries weight, and no one walks away unscathed. Ritesh Shah makes his directorial debut with the project, stepping into the shoes of a man who’s already worked with Neeraj on multiple levels, as a writer, producer, and now, helmer.

The cast includes Saqib Saleem, Akshay Oberoi, Divya Dutta, Kiku Sharda, and Nushrratt Bharuccha. For Neeraj, it’s his fourth Netflix collaboration after Khakee, Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, and Taskaree. Manoj, too, continues his steady climb through the streaming space. The film’s premise.

A moral maze unfolding over just one night, is familiar, but the stakes feel sharper this time. Not because of the plot, but because of the timing. October 23 isn’t just a date. It’s a quiet challenge to the theatrical juggernauts still dominating the box office.

And if the trailer’s tension holds, Gajab Raat might just be the kind of film that proves you don’t need a Friday release to make a statement.