First thing first. Henceforth, there is no need to call Aryan Khan “Shah Rukh Khan’s son” any more. At 27, he has arrived on his own. Not as an actor following in his father’s footsteps (who would have refused to sign him as an actor?!) but as a director. That too with a series mounted on an extravagant scale. His is a show headlined by top young and veteran actors, supported by super A-listers alike!
If I am not mistaken, no Bollywood director in recent memory has made a debut under such watchful eyes. After all, he is SRK’s son. His public image was badly mired after that infamous drugs case of 2021. And it is probably for the first time in years that a star-kid, with a persona like his father, has chosen not to act but to direct.
Ba***ds of Bollywood, with its curious title (the charade of which is solved at the end), is certainly not just another Netflix series. It does not simply peep aimlessly into the inner strata of Bollywood. Instead, it is an informative, authoritative and entertaining slap on Bollywood’s very face. While doing so, Aryan doesn’t spare even himself! But he does it without being too hurtful, indeed. For even if it is fiction (and one really must hope that its climax revelation is certainly nothing more than fiction!) it is loaded with blunt Bollywood truths and harsh realities that insiders can swear are real.
Delhiite Aasmaan Singh (Lakshya) has just made it to Bollywood with a hit debut film titled REVOLVER. Besides the audience, he attracts greedy, opportunistic filmmakers who love to cook their rotis when the tawa is garam. Among them is Freddy Sodawalla (Manish Chaudhari). With a 30-year-old banner established by his elders, Freddy acts swiftly. Against his friend-cum-manager Sanya’s (Anya Singh) knowledge and wish, Aasmaan signs an exclusive three-film deal with him.
Just then, thanks to Sanya’s smart tactic, comes the offer of a ₹100 crore Karan Johar film. In it, Aasmaan is paired with the ‘silver-spooned’ starkid Karishma Talvar (Sahher Bambba). Aasmaan wrongly believes he can juggle between Freddy and Johar. Freddy, insiders say, is a movie mafia. He has his own compulsions to ensure Aasmaan is ousted from the Karan Johar film. He is ruthless enough to ruin an actor’s life at whim. An example is Jaraj Saxena (Rajat Bedi). His three-film contract has remained in Freddy’s cold storage for 15 years, without a single project.
Freddy desperately wants Ajay Talvar (Bobby Deol) to sign his ambitious next. Failing that, he may have to shut his company altogether. And Ajay, whose word is law in Bollywood, also refuses to believe that his daughter makes a debut opposite an insignificant newcomer.
This sets the mood. The rest unfolds with other principal characters: Aasmaan’s best friend Parvaiz (Raghav Juyal), his drunkard and failed singer-musician uncle Avtar (Manoj Pahwa), his parents Neeta and Rajat (Mona Singh and Vijayant Kohli), and Karishma’s mother Anu (Gautami Kapoor) with her son Shaumik (Divik Sharma).
Ba***ds of Bollywood, with its gripping opening sequence, instantly seizes attention. The dialogues, full of expletives, (and impactful at many places), quickly make it clear this is embarrassing to watch with family. Certainly not with kids or adolescents. Aryan Khan’s series unhesitatingly shapes its own world and says: “This is it. Take it or leave it!”
Soon, it soars into the world of Bollywood but charts a path rarely tread. From actors’ tantrums, illusionary happy yet fragile families, award nights and so-called expert critics’ ploys, to stars’ egos, attitudes and their consequences, the series opens up a Pandora’s box like never before. We have every reason to believe what it depicts strongly resembles Bollywood’s reality. The director has grown up watching these tamashas closely. He knows how this glamorous world operates. How mercilessly it cuts someone to size. How things are manufactured here for even petty selfish motives.
Yet, as it progresses, the series loses its initial steam. With 7 episodes of 35–45 minutes each, Ba***ds of Bollywood is unnecessarily stretched at times. It is too loud and in-your-face every second. It relies heavily on production values and star power. It has many absolutely unconvincing sequences. Yet, it moves on, paying zero attention to make even mention of their cascading effects, like a pachyderm. The songs, mostly, are forgettable, adding little joy. The background score too is harsh on the ears. But the director seems to have decided this is exactly what he wanted, and every situation is handled that way — unapologetically.
Then comes the pre-climax and climax. Here, the series ascends so swiftly that one cannot stop staring at the screen in disbelief, murmuring: “Oh my God! Oh my God!” The culmination is absolutely out of the box and superbly unpredictable. Thanks to that, all weaknesses are forgotten. What remains is its imaginative ending. An ending socially hard to digest. But then, that is what Ba***ds of Bollywood is in spirit and sense, literally.
Before the climax too, the series scores big. First, with Lakshya (Lalwani)’s superlative performance. He is fantastic. One forgets he was equally good in Kill as Amrit Rathod or elsewhere. With Ba***ds of Bollywood, he has arrived, finally, and in grand style. Even amid constant appearances by superstars — Ranveer Singh, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and S. S. Rajamouli (and many more blink-and-miss ones) — Lakshya remains the hottest focal point.
Paired with him, Sahher Bambba as Karishma gets a less meaty role. She is not as impactful as Lakshya, but her role is written to serve specific ends. In fact, Anya Singh as Sanya and Raghav Juyal as Parvaiz shine even brighter after Lakshya, with impressive performances. Bobby Deol as Ajay and Manish Chaudhari as Freddy make the series watchable with their faultless acts. Rajat Bedi as Jaraj is good. Mona Singh as Aasmaan’s mum suits her part. Karan Johar, playing himself, handles tricky moments with ease. Among cameos, Emraan Hashmi and Arshad Warsi have strong moments. Badshah, like Johar, plays himself and does well.
It seems half of Bollywood lined up to be part of Aryan’s world. So we also see Tamannaah Bhatia, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Sara Ali Khan, Disha Patani, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Neelam Kothari, Shakti Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Ranjeet and others. Most are brief appearances.
Ba***ds of Bollywood, overall, is unrepentantly clear about its intentions. Its high-octane drama, from the opening stunt to the chase and fight sequences in the end, screams: “It’s Bollywood, stupid.” It adapts smartly to the aura of stars and weaves them into its narrative. Costly. Mad. In parts, gripping. In the end, it is an Aryan Khan series — and that sums it up. As creator and director, this young man has done a remarkable job.
Hope he accelerates his career from here, delivering to his new fans even better, socially more relevant and cinematically satisfying works. Wishing you all the very best, Aryan!
Ba***ds of Bollywood
Rating: ★★★½
Banner: Red Chillies Entertainment
Created and directed by: Aryan Khan
Produced by: Gauri Khan
Written by: Arya Khan, Bilal Siddiqi, Manav Chauhan
Music by: Shashwat Sachdev
Songs by: Shashwat Sachdev, Anirudh Ravichander, Ujwal Gupta
Cinematography by: Jay Pinak Oza
Edited by: Nitin Baid
Episodes: 7
