Former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede has stirred a fresh controversy by filing a defamation case against Netflix, Red Chillies Entertainment (owned by Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan), and the makers of Aryan Khan’s web series The Bad of Bollywood.
Wankhede claims that a particular scene in the series defames his character without any valid basis. He has filed a lawsuit seeking ₹2 crore in damages, vowing to donate the amount to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital if he wins.
The Controversial Scene: 88 Seconds of Drama
The uproar centers around a short 88.2-second segment in the series that has gone viral on social media. The sequence closely mirrors the 2021 high-profile cruise drug case, in which Aryan Khan was arrested but later given a clean chit.
Portrayal of Officer Sparks Anger
In the series, an officer resembling Wankhede—same hairstyle, glasses, and beard—is shown raiding a party of a fictional organisation named NCG. Actor Ashish Kumar, playing the “Plain Clothed Cop,” is seen arresting a Bollywood-linked man while letting off a non-celebrity found with drugs.
The implication: film stars are selectively targeted, a suggestion Wankhede calls “false and defamatory.”
Wankhede’s Response
Wankhede argues that the portrayal deliberately maligns him and the NCB.
“This is a planned effort to defame me,” he stated in his suit, emphasizing that the show paints officers as chasing fame rather than justice.
Previous Controversies Around the Series
This isn’t the first uproar tied to The Bad of Bollywood. Earlier, a scene featuring Ranbir Kapoor vaping caused a storm online.
Silence from Netflix and the Khans
As the legal drama heats up, Netflix, Shah Rukh Khan, and Gauri Khan have so far remained silent.
A Courtroom Drama Bigger Than the Screen?
The battle between Wankhede and the makers has now spilled from the screen to the courts, leaving fans hooked. The big question: Will this legal clash overshadow the series itself?