Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation suit in the Delhi High Court against Netflix and several other entities, alleging that the recently released drama series The Ba**ds of Bollywood* misrepresents anti-drug enforcement agencies and tarnishes his personal reputation.
The series, directed by Aryan Khan in his debut venture and produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, premiered on September 18 on Netflix. Wankhede, who came into the spotlight in 2021 as the then Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for arresting Aryan Khan in a high-profile drugs case, has named Netflix, Red Chillies Entertainment, X Corp, Google LLC, Meta Platforms Inc, RPG Lifestyle Media Pvt Ltd, and unknown defendants (John Does) as parties in his suit.
Wankhede contends that the series has been “deliberately conceptualised” to malign him in a “colourable and prejudicial manner” and that it spreads a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies. He claims such depiction erodes public trust in law enforcement institutions.
The officer has also raised objections to references in the series concerning Aryan Khan’s 2021 NCB case, noting that the matter remains sub judice before the Bombay High Court and the Special NDPS Court in Mumbai.
Additionally, Wankhede has pointed to a scene in which a character utters “Satyamev Jayate” and then makes an obscene gesture by showing the middle finger. He argued that this act amounts to a “grave and sensitive violation” of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, as the phrase forms part of India’s National Emblem.
Wankhede is seeking an injunction against the streaming and circulation of the series and has demanded damages of ₹2 crore. He has stated that, if awarded, the amount would be donated to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for the treatment of cancer patients.
