The Delhi High Court has issued summons to Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix in connection with a defamation suit filed by former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede over Aryan Khan’s web series, The Ba*ds of Bollywood.
Wankhede claims the show includes a character that parodies him and alleges that its release has led to him, his wife, and his sister being subjected to trolling online. The former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer contends that the series, which is a satire on the Hindi film industry, was “deliberately conceptualised and executed” to malign his reputation.
The Allegations and Court Action
The series, which premiered on Netflix last month, features a “plain-clothed cop” who raids a Bollywood party and detains an actor, despite the actor not possessing any narcotics. Following the show’s release, many viewers noted a resemblance between this fictional cop and Wankhede, who famously arrested Aryan Khan in 2021 during a cruise ship raid, though all charges against Khan were later dropped. The Ba*ds of Bollywood marks Aryan Khan’s directorial and creative debut.
Wankhede had initially filed his suit last month, which the court first dismissed as “not maintainable.” However, after the former NCB officer filed an amended suit, the Delhi High Court agreed to proceed, issuing summons to the defendants. During the hearing, Wankhede’s senior advocate pointed to the online posts, stating that the trolling of his client, his wife, and his sister was “ex facie defamatory” and “shocking.”