Shah Rukh Khan may be nursing a broken arm, but that didn’t stop him from turning up in full spirit at the preview launch of his son Aryan Khan’s directorial debut series, The Ba***ds of Bollywood. Known for his wit, the superstar once again had the audience laughing when he poked fun at one of his own career lows—the failure of Zero.
“For God’s Sake, Don’t Make a Zero”
During the event, actor Manish Chaudhari mentioned he would “make Zero,” prompting a quick reaction from SRK. With a grin, he quipped, “Producer to producer, ek baat kahun? Aapko jo bhi banana hai bana lena—ullu bana lena, gadha bana lena, mamu bana lena—lekin bhagwan ke liye meri tarah Zero mat banana.”
The joke was a direct callback to Zero (2018), directed by Aanand L. Rai. The film, in which Shah Rukh played a man with dwarfism, co-starred Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. Despite high expectations, the film failed at the box office and received mixed to negative reviews from audiences.
A Compliment and a Comeback for Sahher Bambba
SRK’s comic streak didn’t end there. While introducing actress Sahher Bambba, who plays Karishma Talwar in the Netflix series, he praised her performance: “She is so fantastic and so brilliant; I think you are going to become one of the top actresses in this country.”
Bambba quickly seized the moment, asking, “But in that case, can I get a role opposite you?” Shah Rukh, without missing a beat, delivered his punchline: “Meri umar ke liye tum bahot badi ho! Too old for me,” drawing laughter and surprise from the audience.
Aryan Khan’s Directorial Debut
The Ba***ds of Bollywood is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. and marks Aryan Khan’s debut as creator, along with co-creators Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan. The ensemble cast includes Bobby Deol, Lakshya, Sahher Bambba, Manoj Pahwa, Mona Singh, Manish Chaudhari, Raghav Juyal, Anya Singh, and Vijayant Kohli, with Rajat Bedi and Gautami Kapoor in key roles.
The series begins streaming on Netflix from September 18.