Red Chillies Entertainment has filed its official response to Sameer Wankhede’s defamation suit against Bollywood gangsters, claiming that the Netflix show was made to tarnish his reputation. Wankhede, the former NCB officer who led the 2021 drugs case involving Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, had approached the court alleging that the makers have portrayed a character similar to him in both appearance and behaviour.
Red Chillies hits back at Sameer Wankhede’s petition against Bollywood gangsters; He says his image has already been scrutinized
In its response, Red Chillies Entertainment stated that the series is a Bollywood satire, and that all the characters are portrayed with deliberately exaggerated characteristics to enhance the humor. The production house argued that the complaint was an attempt to curtail artistic and creative freedom and described Wankhede’s stance as an example of “oversensitivity”.
The reply further stated that Wankhede’s image had become the subject of extensive public scrutiny long before the show’s release. According to the filing, the former officer’s involvement in the Aryan Khan case was met with considerable criticism and ridicule, as reflected in news coverage, social media discussions and public comments at the time. Red Chillies said that these materials clearly demonstrated that their reputation had been affected in the first place, and that the lawsuit was an attempt to silence satirical depictions that fall within the scope of creative expression.
Represented by senior advocates Neeraj Kishan Kaul and Sheel Trehan, the production company also requested the court to allow the show to remain intact, saying that removing the controversial scene would disrupt the narrative flow of the series. The producers clarified that Wankhede is not directly named or referenced in the show, and the police officer character is merely depicted as an “overzealous” cop – a common practice in dark comedies and satires.
The matter came up before Justice Purushandra Kumar on Thursday, which has now been adjourned till November 10 for further proceedings.
Streaming on Netflix, The Ba**ads of Bollywood has garnered attention for its unapologetically sharp commentary on celebrity culture, media frenzy and moral ambiguity within the film industry – subjects that continue to fuel debate over where the line should be drawn between satire and defamation.
