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‘Ba***ds of Bollywood is not a documentary on the Cordelia cruise incident’: Shah Rukh Khan-owned Red Chillies counters Sameer Wankhede’s defamation claim

A legal battle is underway between IRS officer Sameer Wankhede and Shah Rukh Khan’s production house Red Chillies Entertainment over the Netflix web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, directed by Aryan Khan. Wankhede has filed a Rs 2 crores defamation suit at the Delhi High Court, claiming that the show’s portrayal of a government officer is a veiled depiction of him and has damaged his reputation, particularly in relation to the 2021 Cordelia Empress cruise drug case involving Aryan Khan. In response, Red Chillies Entertainment opposed Wankhede’s plea for an interim injunction to stop streaming the series. Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, representing Red Chillies, argued that while the show draws inspiration from overzealous officers, it does not specifically depict or reference the Cordelia cruise incident. Kaul stressed, “Can satire and fiction co-exist? There is no law that it cannot co-exist. I may be partly inspired by real persons and stories yet there can be disclaimers, no problem with two existing together. Where is the ill-will or malice? This is about a success story in a Bollywood party.”He further argued, “We are not looking at people who are sensitive, hurt is not ground for malice. Can you pick a stray instance, a passage here or there? The series is about 20 different issues. We do not show a documentary on the Cordelia cruise incident. I am inspired by overzealous officers. That is far from saying that this is the Cordelia cruise story.”Kaul further claimed that Wankhede is fond of giving interviews to the media and said, “You cannot say that the person depicting ills in Bollywood cannot show overzealous officers. I cannot be responsible for what other people say. I am fully entitled to depict issues ailing Bollywood. Even if I am to project someone, a public official cannot be that thin-skinned,” on behalf of Red Chillies. Concluding his argument, Kaul said, “Even if I portray you unjustly it is still not the case. Every scene in this show is exaggerated. I am not ridiculing him or the emblem. I am talking about officials who have lofty ideas.”The next hearing is scheduled on November 27, 2025, where the court will hear arguments on behalf of Netflix. Also Read: Delhi HC flags bias in Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds Of Bollywood as Sameer Wankhede accuses Netflix show of targeting him.

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Red Chillies hits back at Sameer Wankhede’s plea against The Ba***ds of Bollywood; says his image was already subjected to scrutiny

Red Chillies Entertainment has filed its official reply to Sameer Wankhede’s defamation suit against The Ba***ds of Bollywood, the Netflix show he claims was designed 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 had portrayed a character resembling him in both appearance and mannerisms. In its response, Red Chillies Entertainment maintained that the series is a Bollywood satire, and all characters in it are depicted with deliberately exaggerated traits to heighten the humour. The production house argued that the complaint was an attempt to curtail artistic and creative freedom and described Wankhede’s stance as an instance of “hypersensitivity.”The reply further pointed out that Wankhede’s image had already been subject to widespread public scrutiny long before the show’s release. According to the filing, the former officer’s involvement in the Aryan Khan case had drawn considerable criticism and ridicule, as reflected in news coverage, social media discussions, and public commentary at the time. Red Chillies stated that these materials clearly demonstrated that his reputation had been affected earlier, and that the lawsuit was an attempt to silence satirical portrayals that fall under creative expression. Represented by senior advocates Neeraj Kishan Kaul and Shyel Trehan, the production company also requested the court to allow the show to remain intact, asserting that removing the contested scene would disrupt the series’ narrative flow. The makers clarified that the show does not directly name or reference Wankhede, and that the police officer character is merely depicted as an “overzealous” cop a common trope in dark comedies and satires. The case, which came up before Justice Purushindra Kumar on Thursday, has now been adjourned to November 10 for further proceedings. The Ba***ds of Bollywood, streaming on Netflix, has drawn attention for its unapologetically sharp commentary on celebrity culture, media frenzy, and the moral ambiguity within the film industry themes that continue to spark debate about where the line between satire and defamation should be drawn. Also Read: Sameer Wankhede denies having any grudges against Shah Rukh Khan and family: “I’m just a Government Servant, not living in a Banana Republic”.

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