Mumbai: Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sammer Wankhede, who made headlines in 2021 by arresting Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in connection with an alleged rave party on a cruise ship, has hit out at the satirical action comedy series ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ for making fun of anti-drug enforcement agencies.
“Sometimes I find it funny that certain people mock these officers and their operations. They should introspect at times. If they’re so eager to make fun of something, they should do it with their family and friends; not with those who risk their lives (in the line of duty). This is very demoralising for the officers. I often see people mocking police officers or claiming that they are all corrupt. How long will this go on? I will not tolerate this kind of nonsense,” Wankhede said.
The Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer has also moved the Delhi High Court with a defamation suit seeking an injunction and damages for the “misleading” and “negative” portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies in ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’. He also objected to references made in the series to Aryan’s NCB case, which is still sub judice. The series is made by Aryan.
The High Court issued summons and notices to Netflix, Red Chillies Entertainment and others in the defamation suit a fortnight ago.
Wankhede has also hit out at Bollywood and OTT platforms for promoting smoking and the use of e-cigarettes that are banned in India.
During an interaction, the officer recalled an incident when his six-year-old daughter was enticed by a movie poster featuring a young actor holding a cigarette, which, he said, was setting a bad precedent.
“There are some OTT platforms where the movies/shows feature heroes glorifying the consumption of drugs, cigarettes and e-cigarettes. They should draw a line, especially considering that 20% of our population consists of young people, mostly college-going students, who are gullible,” he shared during a conversation with Bollywood Thikana.
“About 10-12 days ago, while we (Wankhede, his wife and daughter) were driving near the Mumbai airport, we saw a large billboard for a recent movie. I don’t remember its name. It featured a shirtless young actor, looking like a funny man, holding a cigarette. My six-year-old daughter asked me, ‘Papa, will I also become strong if I hold a cigarette like him?’ This is the kind of notion that they propagate. Are you trying to push this 20% (young population) to abuse? No. We need to make our nation strong. We are travelling in a fast speed from being a developing country to a developed country,” the officer added.