Former NCB Director Sameer Wankhede had made a controversial claim days after he Aryan Khan’s Ba***ds of Bollywood was released on Netflix. Taking Shah Rukh Khan’s production company, Red Chillies Entertainment and other stakeholders to court, he attempted to seek justice after a character shared an uncanny resemblance to him. While his plea was rejected, his recent appearance on a podcast went viral after his controversial claims.
Speaking to the Journey of Giants, Wankhede shared his disbelief in the young minds of India, who are at a young age of choosing their role models. Sharing his experience from a recent drug rehabilitation session, he posed a question to the kids. “Who are your heroes?” Revealing their responses, the IRS officer said, “They are naming XYZ Khan.” He received a “shock of life” after he got the response from a child, “My hero is Pushpa.”
‘Addicts, stoners, people who entertain cannot be real heroes’
Being shocked at the lack of awareness, he remarked that the real heroes are the likes of Pritilata Waddedar, Surya Sen, Capt. Anuj Iyer, Capt. Vikram Batra. His audience were simply not aware of these personalities. He explained what he meant by “real heroes”, naming Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Tanaji Malusare, Baji Prabhu Deshpande, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Anuj Iyer, Vikram Batra. He exclaimed, “These are our real heroes!”
He then explicitly said, “Addicts, stoners, people who entertain, they cannot be our real heroes.” Acknowledging that they use their craft, he said,” They are professionals, boy bread and butter, and entertainment.”
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Giving a message to the youth, he said, “Say no to drugs, say yes to life.” Ending on a motivational note, he urged the youngsters to “choose their heroes properly.”
Wankhede vs Bollywood
This comes after several claims he made against a particular scene in the Ba***ds of Bollywood, which allegedly disrespected the national emblem. However, he has been accused of “invading Bollywood” in a past interview by director Anurag Kashyap. In a virtual conversation with journalist Faye D’Souza, he revealed that Wankhede truly has it out for Bollywood. Recalling his experience from 2013, Kashyap revealed that his bank account was frozen for 2 years after he failed to pay off taxes. However, when he appealed to a higher court, it took merely 15 minutes to reverse the decision.
Sameer Wankhede has also been at the forefront of Aryan Khan’s arrest in 2021, where he was found allegedly in possession of illegal substances at a yacht party. However, calling the scene from his directorial series, Wankhede’s legal team alleged it to be a “deliberate” attempt to “malign Wankhede’s reputation.” Aryan Khan’s not-so-subtle portrayal of the incident was remarked as “colourable and prejudicial.”