Red Chillies Entertainment Limited, a company co-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, has formally requested the Delhi High Court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit initiated by former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede. The lawsuit pertains to the Netflix series Bads of Bollywood, with Red Chillies arguing that Wankhede was already under significant public scrutiny due to bribery allegations in the Aryan Khan case, and that the series did not cause any further damage to his reputation.
The series, which premiered on Netflix on September 18, was created, co-written, and directed by Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan. Aryan Khan was previously arrested by Wankhede during an NCB raid on a cruise ship in 2021. He and five others were later exonerated by the NCB in 2022.
In its official response, submitted earlier in October, Red Chillies Entertainment characterized the series as a situational satire focused on the Bollywood industry and set in Mumbai. The company asserted that the portrayal of characters is inherently satirical and parodic, and therefore does not constitute defamation.
Red Chillies’ 35-page reply further elaborated that all characters in the series are deliberately depicted with exaggerated traits and mannerisms to evoke humor and highlight societal or situational absurdities. They contend that Wankhede’s lawsuit aims to stifle legitimate artistic expression, parody, and satire, which are legally protected. The company believes Wankhede’s action stems from hypersensitivity.
“It is also submitted that even before the release of Bads of Bollywood, the Plaintiff was already the subject of public ridicule and adverse commentary. The Plaintiff’s involvement in the aforementioned FIR had attracted significant public attention and criticism, as is clearly demonstrated by numerous social media posts, news articles, and public discourse surrounding the allegations. These materials establish that the Plaintiff’s reputation had already been adversely affected in the public domain well before the release of the said series. The plaintiff, who has an already contested public image, has sought to invoke the defamation proceedings merely to silence artistic and satirical/humorous portrayals,” the reply stated.
The company added, “At the outset, the answering Defendant submits that the said series in its entirety is conceived and presented as a situational satire of the Bollywood industry set in Mumbai and is intended to humorously depict a variety of characters in an exaggerated manner. The said portrayal of the characters in the said series is purely in the nature of satire and parody, and in no manner amounts to defamation.”
Wankhede had specifically requested the court to order the removal of content from Episode 1 of the series, specifically between the timestamps 32:02 and 33:50. This segment features a character closely resembling him in appearance and mannerisms, depicted as an officer arriving in a private vehicle, chanting “Satyamev Jayate,” and wearing a luxury belt and wristwatch, seemingly targeting individuals in the film industry.
In his lawsuit, Wankhede claimed that the series’ creators deliberately tarnished his reputation by including a character with a strong resemblance to him.
The case was listed before Justice Purushindra Kumar Kaurav, who adjourned the hearing to November 10. The court granted time for all parties involved – Red Chillies, Netflix, and Sameer Wankhede – to submit their written arguments.
Red Chillies was represented by senior advocates Neeraj Kishan Kaul and Shyel Trehan, Netflix by senior advocate Rajiv Nayyar, and Wankhede by senior advocate J Sai Deepak.
Red Chillies Entertainment also argued that the clip Wankhede wishes to have removed is crucial to the series’ narrative. They stated that its deletion would create a “broken narrative” and compromise the overall integrity of the series.
“Although the impugned clip has a total duration of less than two minutes, it is integral to the overall storyline of the said series, and its deletion or removal would result in a broken narrative, thereby compromising the integrity of the series as a whole,” the reply stated.
Furthermore, Red Chillies pointed out that the police officer character in the series is portrayed as an “overzealous officer” without being named. The company emphasized that Wankhede is not explicitly identified in the series, and the character’s appearance is brief. They also noted that the character is shown arriving in a “Non-Government Vehicle,” which bears no relation to Wankhede’s tenure with the NCB or the IRS. The clips in question show a fictional character, “Vaastav Srivastav,” being arrested.