Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan left no stone unturned after his son, Aryan Khan, was arrested in an alleged drug case in 2021. While Aryan received a clean chit in 2022, the period he spent in prison was incredibly taxing for Shah Rukh, who relentlessly tried to secure bail for his son. In a new interview, Aryan’s lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, shared the extraordinary lengths Shah Rukh went to, including convincing his wife to talk him into flying back from a holiday to take the case.
In a chat with Republic TV, Mukul Rohatgi, the former Attorney-General of India, revealed the inside story of the high-profile case. For him, it was a “regular bail matter” that only became a national spectacle due to Shah Rukh Khan’s association. “According to me, it was a regular bail matter, as far as I am concerned and I have done thousands of them. It just happened that the personality is important. And therefore, you know, everybody is looking at it. But in short, I was in the UK on a holiday and these were Covid times,” he shared.
Rohatgi, initially hesitant, was convinced by Shah Rukh Khan’s determination. Shah Rukh even offered him a private jet to fly back to Mumbai. Rohatgi, however, declined the offer, explaining his preference for larger aircraft. The actor had already checked into the same hotel where Rohatgi typically stays, the Trident in Nariman Point, demonstrating his readiness to act swiftly.
An Intelligent Client and a Fateful Hearing
Rohatgi found his client to be far more prepared than he expected. “I found him to be quite keen and intelligent,” he said, revealing that Shah Rukh had made his own detailed notes and points for the case. Shah Rukh discussed these meticulously prepared notes with his legal team before the court hearings began. “He discussed it with me, and then we argued it. It was argued for two half days or three half days or something like that, and finally, the bail was granted,” Rohatgi shared. After the successful bail hearing, Rohatgi promptly returned to England to finish his holiday, bringing a close to the intense chapter.
The incident began in October 2021 when the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a rave party on a Goa-bound cruise ship off the Mumbai coast. The high-profile bust quickly became the center of national headlines after Aryan Khan, his friend Arbaaz Merchant, and several others were detained and subsequently arrested. Aryan spent nearly a month in Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail, a period marked by a constant media circus and public scrutiny. Throughout this ordeal, Shah Rukh Khan remained committed to fighting for his son, a tireless effort that paid off when Aryan was eventually granted bail.
A New Beginning and an Artistic Reflection
Following his release, Aryan received a clean chit from the NCB in 2022, citing a lack of evidence. The entire episode brought unprecedented stress to the Khan family, but it appears they have turned the page and are moving forward.
This traumatic experience has now become a source of creative expression for Aryan Khan. In his directorial debut, The Bads of Bollywood, which recently premiered on Netflix, he directly referenced the incident. In the show, he used his own experience to make a lighthearted jab, implying his arrest happened for no reason. This choice reflects a new chapter for the star kid, who is now carving his own path in the entertainment industry as a writer and director. He transforms a difficult personal ordeal into a moment of artistic commentary, proving his resilience and moving beyond the headlines that once defined his public image. The show marks a new beginning for Aryan and a subtle, yet powerful, statement about his past.
