Court points out ‘bias’ in Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood’s satire of Sameer Wankhede

The Delhi High Court has pulled up Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix’s satirical drama The Ba***ds of Bollywood for its apparent bias against former NCB official Sameer Wankhede. Hearing a plea by Wankhede that the show defames him, the court agreed that the depiction was satire but maintained that it wasn’t without bias.

Makers say gun to their head with Wankhede’s complaint

Wankhede has sued Red Chillies and Netflix, along with the show’s creator, filmmaker Aryan Khan, for defamation. Aryan was famously arrested by Wankhede in 2021 when he was with the Narcotics Control Bureau, but later all charges against him were dropped.

Appearing for Red Chillies, Senior Advocate Kaul defended the show’s satire, saying, “I am entitled to do this. You are putting a gun to my head in the plain. Of course, I can say that I am inspired by characters….Every producer, paparazzi can appear tomorrow, (saying) my face resembles.” The advocate then cited how cartoonist RK Laxman could even satirically ridicule the Prime Minister. “That is what we have been proud of in our country. RK Laxman’s character is an example who ridiculed the Prime Minister.” At this, the court interjected, saying that there was no bias in RK Laxman’s work like there was in The Ba***ds of Bollywood, given Aryan and Sameer Wankhede’s history.

All about The Ba***ds of Bollywood

The Ba***ds of Bollywood depicts a plain-clothed cop with a crusade against drugs, and the internet has commented on the character’s resemblance to the former narcotics cop. In his complaint, Wankhede has demanded compensation and that the character’s scenes be removed from the show.

Directed by Aryan Khan, The Ba***ds of Bollywood stars Lakshya, Sahher Bambba, Bobby Deol, Raghav Juyal, Mona Singh, Anya Singh, and Manoj Pahwa. It is currently streaming on Netflix.