Netflix defends Aryan Khan show as Wankhede pursues defamation claim
Nayar also pointed to Wankhede’s earlier interviews and public statements, highlighting that the officer had previously welcomed media scrutiny.
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Netflix has told the Delhi High Court that Aryan Khan’s series, Ba**ds of Bollywood*, is a satirical take on the Hindi film industry and that former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede “should not be oversensitive” about a brief, one-and-a-half-minute segment referencing him.
Senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing the streaming platform, argued that the show is a wide-ranging parody of Bollywood, featuring Karan Johar calling himself “movie mafia”, Emraan Hashmi playing an intimacy coach, and scenes and discussions touching upon drug abuse, #MeToo, casting couch allegations, nepotism, and the insider-versus-outsider debate, as per a report by Bar and Bench.
“Everybody has been painted with some side of parody or satire. Viewed as a whole, it is a broad lampooning of Bollywood. The theme is to expose the workings of Bollywood,” Nayar told Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, who is hearing Wankhede’s defamation suit concerning his alleged portrayal in the series.
Produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and streamed on Netflix, the show has become the focal point of Wankhede’s complaint, for which he is currently seeking interim relief.
Nayar also pointed to Wankhede’s earlier interviews and public statements, highlighting that the officer had previously welcomed media scrutiny. “The plaintiff says he is not bothered. He says he is broad-chested, that his shoulders are broad enough to handle criticism. If he enjoys that, why does he get sensitive about 1.5 minutes of satire?” the senior counsel argued.
He further submitted that the historical tensions between Aryan Khan and Wankhede — after the NCB officer arrested Khan in a 2021 drug case — do not amount to proof of malice. “At the highest, his case is that Aryan Khan spoke out of dislike or ill will. Even then, he does not meet the threshold of malice,” Nayar said.
As the hearing progressed, the court asked Wankhede to submit details of all legal proceedings initiated by him or currently pending. The matter will next be heard on 2 December, when Wankhede’s counsel, senior advocate J Sai Deepak, is expected to present his rejoinder submissions.
