Bollywood has always had a thing for movies about movies. Think of Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om with its flamboyant excesses, or Zoya Akhtar’s Luck By Chance with its playful curiosity about the industry’s inner world. In the pre-social media era, these films explored the culture of filmmaking—cameos, witty self-references, eccentric characters, and chaotic on-set adventures. The film industry was a backdrop, not the punchline.

But things are different now. In the digital-first age, Bollywood stories about Bollywood are far more self-aware, feeding on online gossip, Reddit-style theories, social media memes, and never-ending debates about nepotism. The “N-word” (nepotism) and the “M-word” (meta) dominate the discourse. Yet, this approach comes with its pitfalls. Once the novelty of inside jokes and sly winks wears off, sustaining a full-length show becomes a challenge. We’ve seen series like The Fame Game and Showtime lose their fizz after a promising start.

Into this tricky space steps The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, Aryan Khan’s directorial debut. At first glance, it feels like another industry send-up—full of cameos, gossip, and celebrity caricatures. But dig deeper, and it becomes clear that this show is much more. It’s not just a satire of Bollywood’s glitzy world. It’s a raw, unfiltered critique—a kind of revenge story—where Aryan Khan turns his personal history and scars into biting commentary on India’s most scrutinized industry.

A Shaky Start with Sparks of Chaos

The show begins with a somewhat clumsy opening episode. Cameos fly thick and fast, industry nods pile up, and the staging feels crowded. The humour occasionally falls flat, and the “access-filmmaking” style seems more overwhelming than clever. For insiders or Bollywood-savvy audiences, the innuendos are not exactly shocking—they’re familiar, almost expected.

We meet Aasmaan Singh (played with surprising restraint by Lakshya Lalwani), a Delhi outsider who becomes Bollywood’s latest star after a surprise hit produced by Sodawallah Productions. The eccentric boss, Freddy Sodawallah (a gloriously hammy Manish Chaudhari), ropes him into a manipulative three-film contract. Meanwhile, Karan Johar (playing a meta version of himself) takes note of Aasmaan’s fiery personality during a roundtable interview and decides to cast him opposite Karishma Talwar (Sahher Bambba), a classic “nepo-kid.”

But there’s a hitch: Karishma’s father, ageing superstar Ajay Talwar (Bobby Deol in an over-the-top yet oddly effective role), doesn’t want his daughter paired with this cocky outsider. Freddy, meanwhile, wants Ajay for a sequel (Sailaab 2) that could save his flailing company. Throw in Aasmaan and Karishma’s budding chemistry, and the tension escalates into chaos.

Surrounding them is a colourful supporting cast:

• Parvaiz (Raghav Juyal), Aasmaan’s Gully Boy-lite best friend, who brings both humour and heart.

• Sanya (Anya Singh), his pragmatic manager.

• Avtaar (Manoj Pahwa), his background-singer uncle.

• Neeta (Mona Singh), his loving but weary mother.

• Jaraj Saxena (Rajat Bedi), a washed-up star parodying his brief fame in Koi Mil Gaya.

At first, it seems like standard Bollywood satire—cameos, chaos, and clichés. But Aryan Khan soon reveals that he has something sharper in mind.

A Personal Touch: Aryan’s Revenge Layer

What sets The Ba**ds of Bollywood* apart from earlier “meta-Bollywood” shows is the context of its creator. Aryan Khan, son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan, has lived through the gossip, the controversies, and the brutal public scrutiny himself. His debut show becomes both a reflection of his personal experiences and a rebellion against the system that once crushed him.

The surface level is playful, even silly. We see:

• Emraan Hashmi appear as a last-minute intimacy coordinator, to comic effect.

• Raghav Juyal’s Parvaiz hilariously fanboy over Hashmi.

• Aamir Khan and S.S. Rajamouli engage in what seems like deep cinema talk—until we realise they’re debating idli-sambhar vs vada-pav.

• Salman Khan grumbling “bullshit party” at a lavish birthday bash.

• Shah Rukh Khan’s own “Baadshah” persona hilariously deflated—twice—at an awards ceremony.

But between these skits, Aryan punctures the laughter with darker commentary. The satire suddenly shifts from affectionate parody to furious indictment.

One striking moment: a “Say No to Drugs” message flashes, followed by the words Directed by Aryan Khan. It’s impossible to miss the reference.

Another: a cartoonish NCB officer—clearly modelled after Sameer Wankhede—storms a party shouting “Bollywood is druggist!” He arrests a star while ignoring everyone else, mocking the very scandal that once put Aryan behind bars.

The show doesn’t stop there. We see:

• A bratty star-kid yelling at servants and indulging in disturbing fantasies.

• A producer mocking the #MeToo movement while drinking.

• A gangster forcing an actor to read his daughter’s script.

• A superstar cursing his son under his breath.

• A studio boss violently assaulting a female designer.

This isn’t satire with soft edges. It’s savage, angry, and personal.

Cinema as Hollow Spectacle

Beyond skewering Bollywood’s people, Aryan also takes aim at its films. Up until the climax, The Ba**ds of Bollywood* looks like a fond homage to Hindi cinema. The show borrows templates from classics:

• Luck By Chance-style origin story of a star.

• A dreamer-heiress romance.

• A disapproving Amrish Puri-esque father.

• A wordy Mohabbatein-inspired love vs hate exchange.

• A Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham-like funeral scene, complete with collective pyre-lighting.

• A hero’s heartbreaking smile during his lover’s engagement.

• A DDLJ-style declaration of love, waiting for father’s permission.

But then comes the twist. None of these “homages” are genuine. We never actually see a single movie being shot. What we see instead are contracts, manipulations, power plays, and personal vendettas.

Aryan suggests that Bollywood’s beloved stories are just hollow shells—fragile tropes masking an industry rotting with politics, privilege, and corruption.

Aryan khan roasted Sameer wankhede piche wo taklu v hai 🤣🤣🤣🤣#TheBadsofBollywood pic.twitter.com/HBChKvoG7D— SUMIT (@5UM1T_DBZ) September 18, 2025

The Sameer Wankhede Caricature: Aryan’s Boldest Statement

Of all the show’s subplots, none has sparked as much buzz as the caricature of ex-NCB officer Sameer Wankhede. The resemblance is unmistakable. In one scene, this officer barges into a party, scolds a man for smoking weed, then ignores him because he’s just a DJ. Seconds later, he gleefully arrests a Bollywood actor—even though the star isn’t smoking anything.

“Drugs ne iss desh ko barbaad kar dia hai,” he declares, in exaggerated melodrama.

The internet instantly picked up on the reference. Viewers tweeted:

• “The Sameer Wankhede cameo in The Ba**ds of Bollywood* is too good lol. Iykyk.”

• “Sameer Wankhede in the first episode… sounding exactly like him.”

• “SAMEER WANKHEDE is gonna have a blast watching this.”

For Aryan, who spent 25 days in jail in 2021 after Wankhede’s high-profile NCB raid on a cruise ship, this feels like his unspoken response. Though he never publicly commented on the case, the satire says it all.

In May 2022, Aryan was cleared of all charges, while Wankhede himself faced allegations of blackmail and extortion. The irony is not lost on anyone.

Title Explained: Who Are the Ba**ds of Bollywood*?

The provocative title itself has drawn endless chatter. Yes, it’s cheekily censored with asterisks, but the meaning is clear: The Bastards of Bollywood.

On the surface, it seems like a dig at nepotism, corruption, and scandals. But the twist reveals that the title is literal. The lead characters—products of broken families, illegitimate ties, and toxic legacies—are quite literally Bollywood’s “bastards.”

It’s a name that reflects not only their personal realities but also Aryan’s commentary on an industry where legacies are more performative than authentic.

Dig at Nepo Kids, Critics, and Bollywood Elitism

Aryan also takes aim at film critics and star-kid privilege. In one standout sequence, Aasmaan, despite delivering a Rs. 100 crore hit, is dismissed by critics. Watching a review on TV, he mutters in frustration:

“He has started stammering from licking the boots of star kids.”

At a roundtable inspired by Rajeev Masand’s 2019 interview, Aasmaan delivers a Siddhant Chaturvedi-style comeback. When Karishma Talwar whines about the pressures of being a star kid, he retorts:

“If she doesn’t work for two years, she’ll still ride back to her big house in a Mercedes. If I don’t work for two months, I’ll be on a train back to Delhi.”

And when she orders a coffee with sugar and a spoon, he quips:

“Just get sugar… because you were born with a silver spoon.”

These moments sting because they echo real-life debates—ones Aryan himself has lived through as both an insider and outsider.

Production and Release

The Ba**ds of Bollywood* is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and co-written by Aryan Khan, Bilal Siddiqi, and Manav Chauhan. Announced in February 2025, the seven-episode series finally dropped on Netflix on September 18, 2025, with a star-studded cast that includes Bobby Deol, Lakshya, Sahher Bambba, Raghav Juyal, Mona Singh, Manoj Pahwa, and cameos from Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and more.

Final Word: A Raw, Unfiltered Debut

Aryan Khan’s The Ba**ds of Bollywood* isn’t perfect. Its first episode stumbles, its humour is uneven, and its skit-like tone sometimes dilutes the impact. But what it delivers, unlike most Bollywood satires, is authenticity—raw, unflinching, and personal.

Beneath the glitzy cameos and self-referential jokes lies a show that dares to expose Bollywood’s hollow heart. It’s less a love letter to cinema and more a middle finger to the industry’s hypocrisies.

For a debut, that’s audacious. And maybe, that’s the point.

With inputs from agencies

Image Source: Multiple agencies

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