Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jawan’ Dialogue Called ‘Cheap’ by Sameer Wankhede Amid Aryan Khan Case Remarks

A October 2021 proved to be a tumultuous period for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as his son Aryan Khan was detained in connection with an investigation into an alleged international drugs racket. Aryan spent approximately 25 days in Mumbai Central Prison, with his bail plea being rejected four times before being granted bail on 28 October 2021. In May 2022, Aryan was cleared of all charges.

While Shah Rukh Khan and Aryan were at the center of intense media scrutiny during the episode, another figure who garnered significant attention was Sameer Wankhede, then the Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). Wankhede faced allegations of financial and procedural irregularities. Recently, he spoke about the case, choosing to downplay its significance and refusing to dwell on the individuals involved.

In a conversation with Gaurav Thakur, Wankhede addressed accusations of targeting celebrities. He remarked, “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.”

When questioned specifically 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.”

The incident was brought back into public discourse when Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster film Jawan featured the dialogue, “Bete ko haath lagane se pehle, baap se baat kar,” which many speculated was an indirect reference to the Aryan Khan episode. Addressing 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.”

Despite the controversy, Shah Rukh Khan emerged stronger, delivering two back-to-back blockbusters in 2023—Pathaan and Jawan—reaffirming his resilience and his ability to rise above personal and professional challenges.