Shah Rukh Khan–owned Red Chillies Entertainment on Wednesday opposed in the Delhi High Court a plea by IRS officer Sameer Wankhede seeking an interim injunction on the series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, asserting that the show is a work of satire and accusing the officer of engaging in forum shopping.
Wankhede has sought removal of the series, which he alleges is defamatory, from multiple platforms.
Red Chillies argued that the suit lacked territorial jurisdiction and should have been filed in Mumbai, where both Wankhede resides and the company is registered.
Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, representing the production house, told Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav that the plaintiff invoked Delhi jurisdiction merely because the show was viewed here and newspapers in the capital had carried reports about him.
The court will hear further arguments on Thursday.
“Merely because you feel something, there cannot be a cause of action. Clearly the jurisdiction is Mumbai and not Delhi. This is clearly a case where you have come for forum shopping,” Kaul argued, contending that Wankhede had created “a bogey of cause of action in Delhi when there is none.”
In its reply to the interim application, Red Chillies Entertainment said the series was a “satire” and that such depiction is permitted as a legitimate form of artistic expression and social commentary.
Citing news reports, Kaul said Wankhede regularly gave media interviews and spoke freely about the issues after the Netflix series was released. He argued that the officer could not “pick a one minute stray scene out of context from a seven part show” to allege defamation.
Red Chillies said the series explores controversies in the film industry, including nepotism, paparazzi culture, adultery and struggles faced by newcomers, using satirical and parodic elements.
In his rejoinder, Wankhede said the “defamatory content” was created to settle personal scores and avenge the arrest of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in a 2021 drugs case.
“The defamatory content is a well-crafted conspiracy to misuse cinematic power for a personal vendetta and then to hide behind the convenient veil of ‘satire’,” he submitted.
He alleged the series, written and directed by Aryan Khan, was “orchestrated to target and malign him” and was intended to cause reputational damage rather than serve artistic or dramatic ends.
Wankhede has sued Red Chillies and Netflix for defamation and sought Rs 2 crore in damages, which he says should be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.
On October 8, the high court issued notices and summons to Red Chillies Entertainment Private Limited, Netflix, X Corp, Google LLC, Meta Platforms, RPSG Lifestyle Media Private Limited, and John Doe, directing them to file replies within seven days. The suit has been opposed by counsel for Netflix.
The plea also alleged that the series disseminates a misleading portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, undermining public confidence. It further claimed that a character in the series makes an obscene gesture after reciting “Satyamev Jayate”, which forms part of the National Emblem, amounting to a violation of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.