‘Ba***ds of Bollywood’ Responds to Sameer Wankhede’s Defamation Suit

The Netflix series Ba***ds of Bollywood is facing legal trouble after Indian Revenue Service officer Sameer Wankhede filed a defamation suit, seeking an injunction against the show.

Red Chillies Entertainment, the production house behind the series, has now issued a strong response, describing the defamation claim as “wholly misconceived, untenable in law, and devoid of merit.” The company emphasized that the series is purely “a work of situational satire” and does not defame Wankhede.

“Being a work of satire, all characters in the said series are deliberately portrayed with exaggerated traits and mannerisms to elicit humor and highlight societal or situational absurdities,” the production house said.

In its written response to the Delhi High Court, Red Chillies added, “Satire, by its very nature, relies on overstatement, caricature, and hyperbole, and is not intended to convey factual assertions about any real individual. Such exaggeration is a recognized and protected form of expression, designed to entertain, provoke thought, and critique, and cannot, by itself, constitute defamation.”

The production house also noted Wankhede’s “unblemished record,” referencing the CBI’s FIR filed in May 2023 concerning alleged corruption, further asserting that the series’ portrayal was not intended to reflect on his personal or professional conduct.

With this response, Red Chillies Entertainment has sought to close the controversy surrounding the allegations and defend the creative freedom of the web series.