'The Bads...': Red Chillies seeks dismissal of Wankhede defamation suit
What's the story
Red Chillies Entertainment, owned by Gauri Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, has asked the Delhi High Court to dismiss Sameer Wankhede's defamation suit over the Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, directed by Aryan Khan. The production house, represented by advocate Pranav Sarthi, argued that Wankhede "was already the subject of public ridicule...well before the release of the said series."
Series description
'Bads of Bollywood' is situational satire, exaggeration of characters: RCE
In its reply to Wankhede's plea seeking the removal of specific content, Red Chillies Entertainment described The Ba***ds of Bollywood as a situational satire centered on the Mumbai film industry. The production house emphasized that all characters in the series are intentionally exaggerated to generate humor and underscore societal absurdities. It added that Wankhede "has sought to invoke the defamation proceedings merely to silence artistic and satirical/humorous portrayals."
Character defense
Deleting the character would create a 'broken narrative': RCE
Red Chillies Entertainment further stated that the character in question, who closely resembles Wankhede in both appearance and mannerisms, is an essential part of the series' overall storyline. The production house argued that deleting this character would create a "broken narrative," undermining the integrity of The Ba***ds of Bollywood as a whole.
Legal proceedings
Why exactly Wankhede moved court
Wankhede approached the court seeking the removal of portions from Episode 1 of the Netflix series that feature a character bearing a striking resemblance to him. The character arrives in a private car, chants "Satyamev Jayate," and wears luxury accessories, hinting at targeting people from the film industry. The case was adjourned to November 10 after the court granted time for all parties involved to file their written submissions.