'Bads of Bollywood' not a documentary: Red Chillies tells HC
27 Nov 2025

Red Chillies Entertainment, the production house owned by Shah Rukh Khan, has defended itself in a defamation case filed by Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer Wankhede.

The lawsuit was triggered by the web series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, directed by SRK's son, Aryan Khan.

Wankhede claims that the show mocks him and contains "false, malicious, and defamatory content" aimed at damaging his reputation.

'We do not show a documentary'
Legal defense

During the hearing on Wednesday, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, representing Red Chillies, argued that the web series is not a documentary on the Cordelia cruise incident.

"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 said.

The Delhi High Court will hear Netflix's arguments on Thursday.

Wankhede's defamation suit linked to Aryan's arrest in drug case
Background

Wankhede's defamation suit is linked to the 2021 Cordelia cruise case, where Aryan was implicated in a high-profile drug bust during a rave party on the Goa-bound Cordelia Empress cruise ship.

He was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and spent three weeks in jail before being released. Later, he was given a clean chit in the case.

Aryan was taken into custody by the then NCB-zonal officer, Wankhede.

Wankhede's defamation suit seeks permanent and mandatory injunction
Legal action

In September, Wankhede filed a defamation suit against Aryan and his father before the Delhi High Court, seeking "permanent and mandatory injunction, declaration, and damages" against Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd owned by Khan and Gauri Khan, along with Netflix.

In his plea, he alleged that one particular scene in the show "mocks" him.

RCE has maintained that the show was a satire and not defamatory.