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Former Indian Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede has moved the Delhi High Court against Aryan Khan’s directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood ⁠, alleging that the show portrays him in a “false, malicious and defamatory” manner.

Aryan, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has his new Netflix show release on September 18 to mostly positive reviews.

According to India Today, the officer, who was part of the NCB team that arrested Aryan in the high-profile 2021 drugs-on-cruise case, has filed a defamation suit against Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, Netflix, and others. He has demanded INR 20 million in damages, which he says he intends to donate to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.

In his petition, Wankhede argued that the show was deliberately conceptualised to malign both his personal and professional image. He also emphasised that his legal battle with Aryan is still pending before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court in Mumbai, and therefore, such a portrayal is “prejudicial and irresponsible”.

“This series disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions,” the plea states.

One of the scenes highlighted in the petition shows a narcotics officer arriving at a Bollywood party to arrest people consuming drugs. The officer declares, “I will raid this venue today,” followed by India’s national motto Satyamev Jayate or Truth Alone Triumphs. Immediately after, a character is shown raising his middle finger at the officer — an act Wankhede claims constitutes a violation of the Indian Constitution’s Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.

The show also depicts the officer lecturing a man caught smoking, proclaiming, “I am a part of war against drugs. I am part of wall against drugs. I am part of NCG.” The smoker retorts that he is not a part of Bollywood, leaving the officer visibly frustrated. Later in the scene, the officer slaps an actor, orders his arrest, and remarks, “Ye Bollywood vale bhi na (These Bollywood people I tell you).”

Wankhede insists that such sequences not only mock his persona but also undermine faith in anti-drug enforcement institutions. The case is now set to be heard by the Delhi High Court.