The Ba***ds of Bollywood Review: Aryan Khan Revives Classic Bollywood Magic in His Directorial Debut! The audience, which has been craving the iconic cinema of Bollywood’s OG Farah Khan, can now be relieved as her good friend and actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, has marked his directorial debut! The Ba***ds of Bollywood, now released on Netflix, will make you laugh, get angry, feel sad, empathetic, and joyful, just like any Bollywood movie does, because trust me, the drama and the meta-references are too good to be true.
The show is 7 episodes long, but each episode brings a new twist that leaves you wondering, “Now what?” The storyline starts with Ranveer Singh leaving a Karan Johar film, right after the two share an inside joke about their last venture together. KJo unabashedly claims that he was the one who saved RS’s career, while the powerhouse of acting replies that it was his acting that saved the sinking ship of Johar’s last directorial film.
And with that, the search begins for an actor who can do two prominent things: a) launch a star’s ‘nepo baby,’ and b) ensure that the ‘nepo baby’ has a 100-crore success!
After many ‘serious’ discussions, the one to get the job is our one-hit-wonder rising debutante, Aasmaan, played by Lakshya. The actor is the main lead of the show, and throughout the 7 episodes, he has many moments to showcase his wide array of emotions, which he fantastically delivers. I laughed with him, I cried with him, I got angry with him, and I wanted him to win. But eventually, the major shocking twist changed his life forever, so I had to give up on the winning part and accept the harsh reality of his life.
To accelerate Aasmaan’s life, we have the beautiful and talented Sahher Bambba. She is an absolute delight to watch. Presenting the struggles of a ‘nepo baby’ isn’t an easy task when the world has already pre-made certain thoughts about you and your life. But Sahher beautifully channels her thoughts as superstar Ajay Talwar’s daughter.
Bobby Deol, who plays Ajay Talwar—a protected father and beloved star—is a true embodiment of how scary stardom can be. You have crores of people dying to greet you. One fan even crosses the long-walled mansion’s fence just to get a glimpse, but back at home, you suffer like any other individual, trying to ensure that your family is well-protected and maintains a public image with grace. This is Bobby Deol in his element, and I enjoyed it.
My two favorite characters were Parvaiz and Sanya, played by Raghav Juyal and Anya Singh. They were the perfect backbone that Aasmaan needed to survive in the industry, both professionally and personally.
Legends like Manoj Pahwa, Mona Singh, Manish Chaudhari, Gautami Kapoor, and the rest played their parts extremely well.
However, it is the meta-references and the jokes that only hardcore Bollywood lovers will get that made me chuckle hard. Since I don’t want to ruin the suspense for you, I’ll just give you a glimpse: there’s a superstar who comes at the end and talks about ‘loyalty,’ despite his image as Bollywood’s most disloyal individual. Iykyk.
Apart from the story and acting, Aryan Khan has also pulled off brilliant cinematography in each shot, with every frame looking stylish and reminding us of what a Bollywood film feels like. His direction and screenplay, along with The Bads of Bollywood, have proven that this ‘star’ kid is here to stay and rule with his brilliant filmmaking game.
I loved the show and gave it 4.5 stars out of 5.