In 2023, Shah Rukh Khan made his comeback with the action films Pathaan and Jawaan. A line in the latter film – “bete ko haath lagane se pehle, baap se baat kar” – was interpreted by fans as a comment on Wankhede. When asked if he thought so too, Wankhede said, “A lot of people said it was aimed at me but, I don’t think so. I am not that important for them to include me in their movies. If at all it is about me, I would like to take it as a compliment. And as far as the words in the dialogue are concerned, it is third-grade and not part of our Indian culture.”
Wankhede was also asked why he arrested Aryan even though he allegedly “didn’t find any drugs on him”. He shared, “I am not speculating anything about this case. But, one thing that people need to understand is that when a drug is being manufactured, there might a supplier and also a consumer for the same. If a police officer catches hold of someone involved in the process, is it presumed that the person who has supplied drug to the consumer should not be arrested? Obviously, there won’t be drugs with them, because they have already delivered it to the concerned party.”
Wankhede was also asked if there was any truth to the reports of Aryan telling him, “Tu janta nahi mera baap kaun hai?” Wankhede replied, “I wouldn’t like to comment on such things. It is all submitted in the court. If at all, in some other case, anybody used such language with me, they will be strongly dealt with by law. Such language don’t work with me.”