IRS officer and former NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede has accused Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his production company Red Chillies Entertainment of launching a “calculated hit job” against him through their Netflix web series The Bads of Bollywood. The controversy stems from Wankhede’s claim that the show’s portrayal of a government officer is a deliberate caricature designed to tarnish his image, following the high-profile 2021 cruise ship drug case involving Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan.
In a response filed before the Delhi High Court, Wankhede dismissed Red Chillies Entertainment’s argument that the series is merely a satire. He described it instead as a “sleazeball attempt” to malign his reputation and credibility. “The character of a government officer depicted in the series was deliberately modeled on me,” Wankhede asserted, noting what he called “striking similarities” in the character’s appearance, speech, and even the use of his signature phrase, Satyamev Jayate.
According to Wankhede, the content of the show constitutes a “premeditated and malicious campaign” to ridicule and ruin his professional and personal life. “The defendants cannot take the convenient veil of satire or artistic expression to justify a malicious act,” he said, urging action from the court on the defamatory content.
On the other hand, Red Chillies Entertainment has categorically denied all allegations. The studio maintains that The Bads of Bollywood is a situational satire that explores the absurdities of celebrity culture, media frenzy, and the public’s perception of law enforcement in India. “The series is a work of fiction inspired by real-world events but does not target or defame any real individual,” the company said in its official response.
The production house further argued that Wankhede’s claims are “wholly misconceived and devoid of value.” It warned that the removal of the contested scenes could disrupt the series’ creative and narrative integrity. Red Chillies also emphasized that Wankhede was already a public figure and “a subject of extensive public commentary” before the release of the show, implying that the series did not create or amplify any new controversy about him.
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Operating at the intersection of artistic freedom and defamation, the case continues to unfold in the Delhi High Court, with neither side budging from their respective positions.
