Mumbai, Oct 14: Actor Rajat Bedi, who has made his comeback with ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’, has shared that the director of the show Aryan Khan, and his friends are huge fans of ‘Koi Mil Gaya’.

Rajat essays the role of a ‘has been’ star in the recently released streaming show, helmed by Aryan, who is the son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan.

Rajat recently spoke with IANS in the Bandra West area of Mumbai following the success of the show. He also cleared the air around his earlier statement about Rakesh Roshan which was misconstrued.

“Aryan and many other Aryan’s associates, as children, have been fans of ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ and I’m very blessed that Rakesh Roshan at that time gave me this opportunity to be a part of the film. I did feel a little bad after the film. But, if you actually look at my whole journey, it is a lot thanks to ‘Koi Mil Gaya’. Even today, people ask me, ‘You were in the Alien film, right? You broke Rohit’s cycle, right?’. It is one of the most iconic and lovable films by the audience”.

He further mentioned, “So, when Aryan and others saw ‘Koi Mil Gaya’, they grew up and when he was making something with a full Bollywood flavour, he was very sure that for this character, he needed me. He probably knew that I was relevant at that time. Then I disappeared for 20 years. So, Aryan found me. And what could be a bigger blessing than this? Really, when you ask for something from the universe and the universe fulfills it. I was waiting for the comeback that Aryan has given me”.

‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ is available to stream on Netflix.

Former Mumbai NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, on October 11, spoke about the defamation case he has filed against Red Chillies Entertainment and Netflix. While speaking to news agency ANI, the former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer claimed that his family has been receiving hate messages from Pakistan, the UAE, and Bangladesh.

Wankhede said that his family has nothing to do with his profession or the case and asked, “Why are they feeling the brunt of these kinds of things?”

In addition, he also informed reporters that his sister and wife have been receiving threats. “Hate messages are coming from Pakistan, the UAE, and Bangladesh. I will not accept that because of me, they are facing the brunt of it,” he said.

He further added, “We have regularly informed the police about the threats that my sister and wife keep getting.”

Wankhede also said that he filed the case as it was about his self-respect, personal dignity, and honour, stating, “Whatever satire or parody you create, do it with your own people.”

He added that he would fight the legal battle as far as possible, saying, “I am a loyal soldier of the Government of India. There are numerous checks and balances in our system, and there is a proper rule book — the Constitution — according to which we work. One person does not make the decisions here. Everything has been done according to the rules and regulations. It is not about any publicity; it is about dignity. The kind of hate messages I have been getting, no self-respecting man will remain silent on it. I will fight this legal battle to whatever extent possible.”

Calling drug abuse a major issue for the nation, he further said, “By highlighting such things, you’re insulting not just one person but those who have worked with me, and others who fight against drug abuse.”

The case pertains to Aryan Khan’s web series, ‘The Ba**ds of Bollywood’*. The former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officer has claimed that a character in the series bears a striking resemblance to him and has alleged that the show was “deliberately conceptualised and executed with the intent to malign his reputation.”

Wankhede has filed a ₹2 crore defamation case against Aryan Khan, Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd (owned by Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan), and Netflix.

After filing the ₹2 crore defamation case, Wankhede told PTI, “I don’t want to comment on this. I will just say one thing — Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone triumphs).”

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday reserved its order on a plea filed by Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty seeking protection of his personality rights and an injunction against unauthorised use of his name, image, and likeness on social media and various websites.

A single-judge bench of Justice Arif S Doctor briefly heard arguments from senior advocate Birendra Saraf, representing the 64-year-old actor, and remarked that “it is scary what people can do with the unregulated use of AI on social media.” The court is expected to pass an ex parte ad-interim order in due course.

Shetty, who has acted in over 100 films, has filed a commercial intellectual property rights infringement suit against several social media platforms, websites, and unknown persons (John Doe defendants) for what he described as “extensive and ongoing infringement and unauthorised commercial exploitation” of his persona.

The plea highlights that his photographs and deepfake images, including those with his grandchild, were being used for commercial gain by real estate agencies, gambling and astrology websites, and merchandise sellers — all without his consent or authorisation.

Some of these instances involve AI-generated content, including deepfake videos and counterfeit merchandise like T-shirts and posters featuring his image.

Saraf submitted that such unauthorised usage and impersonation dilute the actor’s reputation, goodwill, and contractual commitments with third parties. “The infringement acts are causing irreparable harm to the plaintiff’s immense goodwill built carefully over the years,” the plea stated.

It further argued that the business models of such websites were designed to unlawfully monetise Shetty’s persona and “debase the goodwill and reputation that the plaintiff has cultivated over many years.”

The actor has sought a permanent injunction restraining all defendants from misusing his personality rights — including his name, image, likeness, voice, or any other attributes — in any form, especially through AI-generated or deepfake content.

He has also sought directions to take down infringing content and prohibit the manufacture or sale of counterfeit merchandise using his likeness.

Justice Doctor had earlier, while granting interim relief to singer Asha Bhosle in a similar plea, observed that using AI tools to imitate a celebrity’s voice without consent violates their personal rights.