'The Ba***ds of Bollywood': Sameer Wankhede Files ₹2 Crore Defamation Suit Against SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment

IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation suit against Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment, streaming platform Netflix and others for allegedly maligning his reputation in the satirical series The Ba***ds of Bollywood. Directed by SRK's son Aryan Khan, the show began streaming on September 18.

Wankhede, a former Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai, led the 2021 raid on a cruise ship that resulted in Aryan's arrest in a drug possession case. In a plea before the Delhi High Court, Wankhede said the series maligns his reputation and belittles anti-drug enforcement agencies. He has sought ₹2 crore in damages, which he has pledged to donate to charity.

A statement on his behalf said the series “disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions.” It added that the show was “deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign Sameer Wankhede’s reputation.”

The petition also objects to a scene where a character raises the middle finger immediately after saying the national slogan “Satyamev Jayate.” Wankhede contends the act violates the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.

On Friday, the Delhi High Court asked Wankhede to explain how his defamation suit was maintainable in Delhi and whether any part of the cause of action had arisen in the National Capital. To this, Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Wankhede, submitted that the web series was streamed across cities, including Delhi, and the officer had been defamed in the Capital as well.

The court, however, directed Wankhede to amend his plea to specifically demonstrate how a valid cause of action had arisen in Delhi.

The first episode of The Ba***ds of Bollywood introduces a character, an anti-drug officer, who netizens feel resembles Wankhede.