New Delhi: Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment strongly contested IRS officer Sameer Wankhede’s plea for an interim injunction in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday, firmly stating that Aryan Khan’s series The Ba*ds of Bollywood is a work of fiction and not a retelling of the Cordelia cruise case.
The production house insisted that the show, now streaming on Netflix, merely draws broad inspiration from the world of Bollywood and its complex ecosystem, without targeting any individual or case.
Red Chillies counters Sameer Wankhede in court
Appearing on behalf of Red Chillies, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul argued that satire, exaggeration and fictionalisation are legitimate storytelling devices. Addressing Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, he said, “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.”
Kaul stressed that the narrative touches upon multiple thematic strands and does not recreate the cruise ship incident that thrust Aryan into national headlines in October 2021. “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,” he clarified.
Aryan Khan’s case details
Aryan Khan’s arrest by the Narcotics Control Bureau in October 2021, led by then-zonal director Sameer Wankhede, created a storm across the country. Aryan spent more than three weeks in jail before being granted bail. He was later given a clean chit, with the agency concluding that no evidence of drug use or possession was found.
Kaul also took aim at Wankhede’s public profile, suggesting that the officer himself has frequently spoken to the media and continued to comment even after the series aired. “You cannot say that the person depicting ills in Bollywood cannot show overzealous officers. A public official cannot be that thin-skinned,” he said, adding that every scene in the series is intentionally exaggerated for dramatic effect.
Wankhede has accused the show of “mocking” him and claimed that one particular scene contains “false, malicious, and defamatory content” aimed at damaging his reputation. His defamation suit targets Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan, Aryan Khan, Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix.
The High Court will resume hearing on Thursday (November 27), when Netflix’s arguments are expected to be presented.