Red Chillies Entertainment has filed its official response to Sameer Wankhede’s defamation suit against The Ba**ds of Bollywood, the Netflix series he claims was designed to malign his image, Bollywood Hungama reported.
Wankhede, the former NCB officer who led the 2021 drugs case involving actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, alleged that a character in the show bore striking similarities to him in both appearance and mannerisms.
In its reply, Red Chillies Entertainment asserted that the series is a Bollywood satire, with characters intentionally exaggerated “to heighten the humour.” The company argued that Wankhede’s complaint was an attempt to curb artistic and creative freedom, describing his reaction as an act of “hypersensitivity”, reported Bollywood Hungama.
The production house further stated that Wankhede’s public image had already faced scrutiny during and after the Aryan Khan case, citing media reports, social media commentary, and public debate that had shaped his reputation well before the show’s release. The response maintained that the lawsuit was an effort to suppress legitimate satire and creative expression.
Represented by senior advocates Neeraj Kishan Kaul and Shyel Trehan, Red Chillies also urged the court not to order any cuts or deletions, arguing that altering the series would disrupt its narrative integrity. The makers clarified that the show does not mention Wankhede by name and that the depicted police officer is simply an “overzealous cop,” a familiar figure in satirical storytelling, as reported by Bollywood Hungama.
The matter was heard by Justice Purushindra Kumar on Thursday and has been adjourned to November 10 for the next hearing.
The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, currently streaming on Netflix, has drawn attention for its biting portrayal of celebrity culture, media sensationalism, and moral grey zones in the film industry — reigniting debates over the fine line between satire and defamation.
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