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October 2021 was a challenging time for superstar Shah Rukh Khan as his son Aryan Khan was detained in an investigation into an alleged international drugs racket. Aryan spent around 25 days in Mumbai Central Prison and was denied bail four times before being granted one on 28 October 2021. In May 2022, Aryan was cleared of all charges.
While Shah Rukh and Aryan dominated headlines during the incident, another figure who remained in the limelight was Sameer Wankhede, the Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau at the time. Wankhede faced allegations of financial and procedural irregularities but has now opened up, downplaying the importance of the case and refusing to focus on the people involved.
Sameer Wankhede on Aryan Khan case
In a conversation with Gaurav Thakur, Wankhede addressed accusations of targeting celebrities. “I don’t believe in the word ‘celebrity’, both personally and professionally. People see me as someone who only gets hold of so-called celebrities, but they are not the only people I have handled. There are other 3,400 cases that I have dealt with. Those don’t make it to the limelight because those people don’t have face value or the charm to become headlines. I only did my duty. It’s not my fault if people write headlines around certain people,” he explained.
When asked about the Shah Rukh Khan case, Wankhede dismissed its significance, stating, “I don’t agree that it is the ‘elephant in the room.’ I would rather think of it as one of the smallest cases of my career—a microorganism in the room. I don’t want to give it so much importance or waste my time talking about it. The matter is currently in the court, and I don’t want to comment. I just want to say, neither am I scared of anything, nor am I hiding anything. Once the court passes its verdict, I will surely speak about it in detail.”
Sameer Wankhede calls Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan dialogue cheap
Speculations about SRK addressing the case indirectly surfaced after Jawan featured the dialogue, “Bete ko haath lagane se pehle, baap se baat kar.” Responding to this, Wankhede remarked, “The words ‘baap’ and ‘beta’ sound extremely cheap and third-rated. These are roadside dialogues. I don’t expect myself to react to such things or give them importance.”
Shah Rukh, following Aryan’s clean chit, delivered two blockbuster hits in 2023: Pathaan and Jawan, cementing his resilience in the face of adversity.
