Category: politics

IRS officer and former NCB Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede has strongly objected to Shah Rukh Khan-owned Red Chillies Entertainment’s defense of its Netflix web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, calling the show “a calculated hit job designed to settle personal scores.” In his rejoinder filed before the Delhi High Court, Wankhede dismissed the production house’s claim that the show is satire, stating the series is a deliberate attempt to malign his reputation following the 2021 cruise ship drug raid case involving Aryan Khan, who directed the series. Wankhede alleged, “the character of a government officer depicted in the series was deliberately modelled on him, citing striking resemblances in appearance, speech, and the use of his trademark phrase ‘Satyamev Jayate.’ He said the scene amounted to a ‘premeditated, targeted campaign’ intended to ridicule and destroy his reputation.” He further added, “the defendants cannot hide behind the convenient veil of satire or artistic expression to justify a malicious act.”Red Chillies Entertainment, however, filed a reply arguing that The Ba***ds of Bollywood is a situational satire on Bollywood, featuring exaggerated characters to underscore societal absurdities, and denied containing any defamatory material. The production company called Wankhede’s suit “wholly misconceived, untenable in law, and devoid of merit,” warning that removing the contested scene would disrupt the series’ narrative flow. They also highlighted that Wankhede was “already the subject of public ridicule and adverse commentary” prior to the show’s release. The Delhi High Court has scheduled further hearings on November 10, directing all parties to submit written arguments. Also Read: Red Chillies hits back at Sameer Wankhede’s plea against The Ba***ds of Bollywood; says his image was already subjected to scrutiny.