'Just did my job': Actor playing narcotics cop on Aryan Khan's The Bads of Bollywood opens up on Sameer Wankhede row

The actor who plays the narcotics cop in Aryan Khan's The Ba***ds of Bollywood has spoken up about the role allegedly parodying Sameer Wankhede.

Aryan Khan's directorial debut, The Ba***ds of Bollywood, has been in the news ever since its release on Netflix earlier this month. The satire on the Hindi film industry has been praised by fans for its irreverent tone and ability to take potshots at everyone. However, not everyone seems to be loving it. Former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer Sameer Wankhede sued the show, Aryan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Netflix for defamation, claiming that the character of a narcotics officer on the show parodies him and defames him.

Sameer Wankhede has said that a character (left) played by Ashish Kumar in Aryan Khan's The Ba***ds of Bollywood defames him.

Even as the Delhi High Court heard Wankhede's petition last week and found it not maintainable, the actor who plays the narcotics cop on the show, has opened up on his portrayal, and reacted to the charge that the character is based on Sameer Wankhede.

Actor Ashish Kumar breaks silence

Actor Ashish Kumar plays the officer on the show, described in the credits simply as 'plain-clothed cop'. The actor shared a picture of himself thanking fans on a newly-created Instagram account, and expressed surprise at how well the character has been received. The post received lots of comments of appreciation from fans of the show. "Small role , big impact," commented one viewer. Another added, "Aap to main MVP ho pure show ke (You are the MVP of the whole show."

Some, however, chimed in about the character's alleged similarities to Sameer Wankhede. One comment read, "Bhai Woh Dhoondh raha he (brother they are looking for you)." When Ashish asked who, the commenter added, "Sameer, jiska role kiya (Sameer, whom you played). Ashish simply added a laugh emoji in response." Another comment read, "Acted so good the real one got offended and tried to sue for defamation."

When one Instagram user commented, "Sameer wankhede ki fielding set kar di (You roasted Sameer Wankhede)," Ashish responded, "God bless everyone, bro, I just did my job."

About The Ba***ds of Bollywood

Ashish plays a cop on The Ba***ds of Bollywood. He arrives at a party thrown by a Bollywood producer and arrests an actor who was not in possession of any drugs. Sameer Wankhede has claimed the character is modelled on him and shows enforcement agencies in a bad light. In 2021, Wankhede famously arrested the show's creator and director, Aryan Khan, on drug charges. Aryan was later cleared of all charges, and Wankhede was transferred out of the NCB.

The show stars Lakshya, Sahher Bambba, Bobby Deol, Raghav Juyal, Anya Singh, Manoj Pahwa, and Mona Singh in the lead roles. It was the fourth-most-watched non-English show of Netflix globally in the week of its release.