What happens when a practiced jab is based on a well-known arrest from four years ago? This is the anger that is building as former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede takes Aryan Khan’s first movie to court. “The Ba***ds of Bollywood,” a seven-part Netflix miniseries developed by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, is now the fourth most popular show in the world that isn’t in English. However, Wankhede is not happy with the idea that a drug cop who is biased raids Bollywood events. On September 25, 2025, he went to the Delhi High Court and filed a ₹2 crore defamation case.
Is it mockery or satire that hurts?
In the infamous episode, a tough cop who looks a lot like Wankhede lets a non-celebrity smoker walk free while placing a Bollywood insider who doesn’t drink in handcuffs. He even mentions “Satyamev Jayate,” which is Wankhede’s famous sign-off from the cruise drug bust in 2021 that sent Aryan to jail for 25 days. Another time, the bird is shown just after the national motto, which Wankhede considers an obvious insult to India’s symbol under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act. People on the internet were talking a lot about “Iykyk” memes, but Wankhede doesn’t find them funny. He says they are a “malicious caricature” that makes people less trusting of people who fight drugs.
Sounds from 2021: A Case That Is Still Up in the Air
Back to the month of October 2021: Wankhede’s team stormed a cruise ship on its way to Mumbai and detained Aryan and 17 other persons who were alleged to be part of a narcotics ring. The allegations against Aryan were dropped in 2022 because Wankhede was suspected of extortion and was given a new position. There are still some things that need to be done in Mumbai’s Bombay High Court and NDPS Special Court, nevertheless. Wankhede believes that the series harms his defense and public image because it came out when these cases are still in court. When satire and real stakes meet, it’s like putting salt on a wound. One man’s joke can hurt another man’s career.
Battle in the courtroom: Damages and Other Effects
Wankhede is suing Red Chillies, Netflix, Gauri Khan, and others seeking an injunction to stop the episode and ₹2 crore in damages. He said he would give the money to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital to help people who are sick. He claimed that “obscene, offensive” content is against the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which is causing a lot of debate. A small piece of advice for creators: while using headlines as inspiration, be very careful about giving away who you are— Lawyers say that blending fact and fiction could lead to this form of revenge. This case brings to light the evil side of Bollywood and the fine line between art and attack. Will the court prohibit the series from flying, or will it let the satire go? The next time the gavel drops, it could modify the rules for red lines in real-life dramas.