Sameer Wankhede sues Shah Rukh Khan's company and Netflix alleging defamatory portrayal in 'The Ba***ds of Bollywood'

Highlights:

• Former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede takes legal action against Shah Rukh Khan's production company and Netflix.
• The suit alleges a character in Aryan Khan's series is a defamatory portrayal that mocks him.
• Wankhede seeks damages of £16,800 (₹2 crore), which he has proposed to donate to a cancer hospital.
• The legal filing claims the show presents anti-drug agencies in a negative light.
• The case references the 2021 cruise ship raid where Aryan Khan was arrested.

The simmering tension from a high-profile 2021 drug case has exploded into a full-blown legal battle. Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation suit in an Indian court targeting Shah Rukh Khan, his production company Red Chillies Entertainment, and the streaming giant Netflix. The legal move is a direct response to Aryan Khan's directorial debut, The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which Wankhede claims contains a "false, malicious, and defamatory" portrayal of him. The suit has ignited a new chapter in a story that once dominated headlines.

Sameer Wankhede files lawsuit against Shah Rukh Khan and Netflix over Aryan Khan series Instagram/swankhede.irs/ Getty Images

What is the defamation suit about?

This isn't about the entire show. Wankhede’s grievance hinges on one specific character introduced early in the series. The character, a narcotics officer, storms a Bollywood party in a scene that social media users immediately linked to Wankhede. The legal plea argues this portrayal was “deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign” his reputation.

The suit seeks a permanent injunction to stop the show's broadcast and demands damages of £16,800 (₹2 crore), which Wankhede has stated should be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital. The filing also points to a scene where the character makes an obscene gesture after reciting "Satyamev Jayate," calling it a violation of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act.

How does The Ba***ds of Bollywood portray the officer?

The first episode of the show features a loud, stern officer dressed in a white shirt and dark trousers who steps out of a police vehicle. He launches into a rant about a war on drugs, directly pointing a finger at the film industry. The physical resemblance; a lean build and short hair is uncanny, but the context is what matters most.

The character is part of an agency called 'NCG', a barely disguised nod to the NCB. Wankhede’s suit claims this depiction disseminates a “misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions.” It’s a strong accusation, suggesting the show’s creators weren’t just making a passing reference but crafting a pointed critique.

What is the background between Sameer Wankhede and Aryan Khan?

To understand why this lawsuit isn't just random legal noise, you have to rewind to October 2021. Sameer Wankhede wasn't just any officer back then; he was the top narcotics guy in Mumbai, the zonal director for the NCB. He was the one leading the raid on that cruise ship, the Cordelia Empress, which was supposed to be headed to Goa for a party.

The raid turned into a massive media circus, and right at the centre of it was Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan's son. He was arrested, and the image of him being taken in was everywhere. He ended up in jail for over three weeks before he finally got bail. The case eventually fell apart, and Aryan was cleared, but those weeks and the scandal itself left a mark.

Now, with Aryan Khan directing a show that features a character many see as Wankhede, the past isn't just being remembered but dramatised. The suit itself notes that the original drugs case is still sub-judice, making this fictionalised take feel like salt on a wound.

Aryan Khan escorted to court by Narcotics Control Bureau officials for a bail plea hearing on October 8, 2021Getty Images

What happens next?

The ball is now in the court of the Delhi High Court. This isn't some online argument that will fade away by tomorrow. This is a real legal case, and Red Chillies and Netflix have to craft a legal response.

For Netflix, it's just another headache in India. It seems like every other month there's some new challenge to a show. But for the Khans, this is different. This is deeply personal. It’s dragging them right back to one of the worst periods of their lives, forcing a confrontation with the very person who was at the centre of that storm.

Aryan Khan’s directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood faces legal challenge over controversial portrayalGetty Images

So what’s it all going to come down to? The court has to decide where the line is. When does a snarky caricature stop being satire and become a targeted attack? Is it just a bit of creative fun, or is it genuinely damaging? Nobody has the answer yet. But one thing is obvious: the old fight between Bollywood and the powers-that-be has found a new arena, and this time it's inside a courtroom.