On October 8, 2025, the Delhi High Court has issued summons to Red Chillies Entertainment, Netflix, and some others after a defamation case was filed by Sameer Wankhede, who is a former Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and also an IRS officer. The case is regarding the Netflix web series The Ba...ds of Bollywood, which Wankhede says has damage his image and public reputation. The series is said to be related with the high-profile Aryan Khan drug case, where Wankhede had played a main role during investigation.

The court directed all respondents to file their replies in seven days and kept the next hearing on October 30. Wankhede has seeked  2 crore as compensation, which he said he will donate to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital. He claims the show has showed him in bad light and shaken public trust in law enforcement agencies.

The series, which was released on Netflix, already was in controversy for how it show the events linked to Aryan Khan case. Wankhede’s suit says that the show wrongly represent the anti-drug agencies’ work and even has some scenes that mock national symbols. He said this is not just defamation but also a violation of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act.

Meanwhile, actor Rajat Bedi, who worked with Aryan Khan in the series, defended Aryan, saying that his success comes from his own talent and not only because of his family background. Bedi added that Aryan got too much unnecessary criticism and that his role in the show was important.

This defamation case has opened a wider talk about the balance between creative freedom and protecting a person’s image. Legal experts say that the result of this case might make a new example for future cases where real people are shown in films or shows. Now everyone is watching what the Delhi High Court will decide about how much freedom media has to show real-life events without getting into legal troubles.