The Delhi High Court on Thursday heard Netflix’s strong opposition to IRS officer Sameer Wankhede’s plea seeking an interim injunction on the streaming of The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, with the platform arguing that the series is a work of satire and dark comedy and cannot be restrained in a defamation suit.
Wankhede has sought the takedown of the series from multiple websites, alleging that it is defamatory and was created to target him personally.
Appearing for Netflix, senior advocate Rajiv Nayar told Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav that Wankhede cannot seek an injunction merely because a short satirical clip allegedly offends him.
Nayar argued that the threshold for defamation is “very high”, and such claims cannot be tested at the interim stage.
“He himself admits it is satire. Merely showing that the show is by Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan is not enough. He has to cross the threshold of proving malice,” he submitted.
He said the series is a broad lampooning of the Hindi film industry.
“The theme is to expose the bad ways of Bollywood. Everybody has been painted with some side of parody or satire. Viewed as a whole, it is a broad lampooning of Bollywood and its workings,” he said.
Shah Rukh Khan-owned Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the production house behind the series, also opposed the injunction request. It argued that the Delhi High Court lacked territorial jurisdiction and that Wankhede’s choice of forum was “forum shopping”, especially when both he and the company are based in Mumbai.
In its reply, Red Chillies said the show is a satire protected under the law as a legitimate form of artistic expression and social commentary. It added that the series touches on the industry’s familiar controversies — nepotism, paparazzi culture, adultery, and the struggles of newcomers — using parody and exaggeration.
Wankhede, in his rejoinder, maintained that the “defamatory content” was created to settle personal scores after the 2021 NCB raid that led to the arrest of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in a drugs case.
He alleged that the show, written and directed by Aryan Khan, was “orchestrated to target and malign” him. Wankhede has sought Rs 2 crore in damages, which he proposes to donate to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.
The plea also objects to a scene showing a character making a middle-finger gesture after uttering “Satyamev Jayate”, claiming it violates the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and erodes public confidence in anti-drug enforcement agencies.
Justice Kaurav has listed the matter for further hearing on December 2, directing Wankhede’s lawyer to file written submissions. Earlier on October 8, the court had issued notices to Red Chillies, Netflix, X Corp, Google, Meta, RPSG Lifestyle Media, and John Doe entities in the defamation suit.
