New Delhi: Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and former NCB Mumbai zonal director Sameer Gyandev Wankhede has filed a counter before the Delhi High Court accusing Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd. Ltd., the production house owned by Shah Rukh Khan, produces and airs “false, malicious and defamatory” content through its Netflix web series ‘The Ba**ads of Bollywood’.
Wankhede argued that the web series is not a work of fiction but a “personal vendetta disguised as satire”, hatched to tarnish Shah Rukh Khan’s reputation following the 2021 Cordelia Cruz drug case involving his son Aryan Khan.
In response, Wankhede alleged that the character of a government official depicted in the series was deliberately based on him, citing striking similarity in appearance, speech and use of his trademark phrase “Satyamev Jayate”. He said the scene was a “premeditated, targeted campaign” aimed at ridiculing him and destroying his reputation.
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The response states, “The series is not a satire, but a calculated hit designed to settle personal scores.” It also said that the material mocked not only the officer but also the national motto ‘Satyamev Jayate’.
Wankhede claimed that the content had publicly humiliated him, leading to a “wave of online ridicule” against him and his family. Describing the damage caused to his reputation as irreparable, he said, “Objectionable and unpleasant messages are being sent to my wife and sister.”
The response further accused the company of vindictiveness and commercial greed, stating that “Defendants cannot hide behind the convenient veil of satire or artistic expression to justify a malicious act.”
Wankhede argued that his right to reputation protected under Article 21 of the Constitution has been violated and urged the court to stay the streaming and propagation of the allegedly defamatory scenes until the defamation case is decided.
In its counter affidavit, Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd had opposed Wankhede’s injunction plea, and termed the defamation suit as “completely misconceived, unsustainable in law and devoid of merit”.
The reply states that ‘The Ba**ads of Bollywood’ is a situational satire which does not name or depict Wankhede and does not contain any defamatory content.
At the threshold, the company challenged the maintainability of the suit, arguing that the Delhi High Court lacks territorial jurisdiction as the key defendants, including Wankhede and Netflix, are both based in Mumbai. It says that jurisdictional defect at the outset renders the proceedings void, which cannot be cured through subsequent amendments to the plaint.
The production house also questioned Wankhede’s claim of an impeccable service record, citing a CBI FIR lodged in May 2023 for alleged extortion and corruption.
“The existence of the FIR and the need for interim protection undermines the claim of the plaintiffs to have an impeccable reputation,” the company submitted, adding that the Wankhede series was the subject of “public ridicule and adverse commentary” even before its release.
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Red Chillies said the series is a creative and humorous commentary on the film industry, tackling topics such as nepotism, paparazzi culture and celebrity controversies, using humor and parody, protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It added that the brief sequence objected to by Wankhede is only one minute and forty-eight seconds long, “depicts only an overzealous officer” and does not contain any defamatory reference.
The reply said, “Satire allows the satirist to criticize in the harshest terms. Whether the comment is sarcastic or malicious can be determined only after testing.”
Arguing that Wankhede, as a public servant, should endure public scrutiny, Red Chillies said, “Those who fill public positions should not be too vulnerable. A person whose conduct has been the subject of official scrutiny cannot claim special protection from fair comment or satire.”
Terming Wankhede’s plea as an attempt to suppress legitimate artistic expression, the production house said removing the disputed scene would distort the narrative flow of the series, which is streaming on Netflix from September 18, 2025.
On Thursday, the Delhi High Court directed all parties to file written submissions and listed the matter for hearing before Justice Purushindra Kumar Kaurav on November 10.
On the previous date, the court had issued notice to Netflix, Red Chillies and others on Wankhede’s plea seeking permanent injunction and compensation of Rs 2 crore for alleged defamation.