Aryan Khan's highly publicisied directorial venture The Ba**ds of Bollywood* has received positive reviews. But may have invited trouble for the makers. Ex-Narcotics Bureau officer Sameer Wankhede who arrested Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan, during a cruise raid in 2021 has reportedly moved the Delhi High Court over his alleged portrayal in a web series.
On Thursday, Wankhede approached the Delhi High Court with a defamation suit, seeking an injunction and damages over what he described as the “misleading” and “negative” depiction of anti-drug enforcement agencies in the newly released Netflix show The Ba**ds of Bollywood*.
The series premiered on September 18 has been directed by Aryan Khan, and is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.
As per reports, Wankhede has filed the case against the production company, Netflix, X Corp, Google LLC, Meta Platforms Inc, RPG Lifestyle Media Pvt Ltd, and unidentified parties.
“This series disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions,” he claimed in his plea.
Wankhede also claimed that the series has been deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign his reputation in a prejudicial manner and unfairly targets.
The suit refers to a particular sequence in the show that featured a character making an obscene gesture after reciting ‘Satyamev Jayate’, and the suit asserted that the act constitutes a grave and sensitive violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, which attracts penal consequences under the law.
Wankhede has further argued that the series violates several provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), alleging that it attempts to provoke public sentiment through obscene and offensive content.
In his petition, he has demanded damages of ₹2 crore to be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.
The suit also requests the court to halt the streaming and distribution of the series and to formally declare it defamatory. Wankhede contends that apart from damaging his personal reputation, the show erodes public trust in agencies tasked with enforcing drug laws.
The Delhi High Court is expected to take up the case soon.
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