IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, best known for leading high-profile narcotics raids, has taken legal action against Netflix and Red Chillies Entertainment over the upcoming series The Ba*ds of Bollywood, directed by Aryan Khan.
Wankhede has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking an injunction against the show’s release and Rs 2 crore in damages.
In his plea, the former Narcotics Control Bureau officer alleges that the series paints him in a “false, malicious, and defamatory” light.
According to Wankhede, the portrayal undermines his credibility as a public servant and could erode trust in anti-drug enforcement agencies.
The petition names Red Chillies, owned by Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, Netflix, and other parties as respondents. Wankhede further argues that the series has been “deliberately conceptualised and executed” to tarnish his reputation, particularly as legal proceedings involving him and Aryan Khan remain pending before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai.
Interestingly, Wankhede has also requested that any damages awarded be directed to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital to support cancer treatment.
The case now raises larger questions: How far can creative expression go when real-life legal battles are still unresolved? And where should the line be drawn in portraying public officials in fictionalised retellings of recent controversies?
Also, the damages, as it’s gonna go to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, Netflix and Red Chilli can just hamper its public image with one wrong step.