The Ba**ds Of Bollywood Review: Aryan Khan turns Bollywood’s blueprint into a bling-fest

The Ba*ds Of Bollywood Review: Think of it as a series version of Deewangi Deewangi but with a whole lot of drama in between; you end up relishing the cameos more than going into the details.

The Bads Of Bollywood Review

The Ba***ds Of Bollywood Review: Story: Aasman Singh (Lakshya), a Delhi boy, comes to Mumbai with a dream of becoming an actor. He is joined by his childhood friend Parvaiz (Raghav Juyal), who becomes his Man Friday, and his manager Sanya (Anya Singh). Little does he know that the world of glitz also has a darker side. Soon, he gets caught in the tug of war between producers, which only grows uglier when superstar Ajay Talvar (Bobby Deol) enters the picture. Ajay, threatened by sparks between his daughter Karishma (Sahher Bambba) and Aasman, decides to make the young man’s life hell. Will Aasman become the superstar he dreams of being, or will the Bollywood mafia crush his ambitions?

The Ba***ds Of Bollywood Review:

Debuts are always special, but when it’s the heir to Bollywood’s legacy of romance and drama, it feels like a landmark event rather than just another entry into the movies. Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan is the latest star kid to step into the spotlight, making his much-talked-about Netflix debut as a director and creator with The Ba**ds Of Bollywood* (TBOB). This is a show about the ecosystem he grew up watching, conflicts he witnessed firsthand, and experiences only privilege can provide. Aryan uses all of that and more to his advantage, and what unfolds is a show that’s interesting, fun, and, despite being filled with clichés, surprisingly good .

Think of The Ba**ds Of Bollywood* as an almost six-hour-long version of Deewangi Deewangi from Om Shanti Om—just with drama wedged between each cameo. The trick is to build a story between these appearances, while dazzling the audience with so many big names and faces that you’re first busy connecting dots and then simply hypnotized by the bling on screen. TBOB takes one of Hindi cinema’s most overused blueprints and dares to repackage it, building a new foundation that not only stands on the past but also aspires to continue it into the future. (I’m still not sure if that made sense, but then again, not everything here is meant to.) What matters is that Aryan Khan, despite the baggage of expectation, shows he has an interesting directorial voice.

Also Read: The Ba***ds of Bollywood first impression: Aryan Khan drives nepotism, stardom, and satire in the opening episode

Co-written by Aryan, Bilal Siddiqi, and Manav Chauhan, the show is about the people who make movies. And if you’ve read enough of my work, you know I’m obsessed with this genre. It’s no easy task to look at your own world and shape a screenplay that isn’t a caricature or painfully shallow. Who better than someone inside the industry to try, though? Khan attempts to balance caricature and sincerity, giving us a take that is satirical but also steeped in drama. Characters who appear underplayed at first gradually become central to the plot, and that unpredictability is a nice touch.

Still, clichés dominate the show. The underdog hero, the ailing father, the doting mother, the funny sidekick, the hulking villain, and his snooty henchman—you name it, it’s here. But what works in TBOB’s favour is how Aryan uses these tropes. He leans into the predictability, knowing that he has the entire industry rooting for him. So much so that they even show up for cameos at random moments. The result? The story gets told in the gaps between these appearances, while the cameos themselves paper over the narrative’s cracks. Just when you start questioning something, a superstar enters, and you forget what you were nitpicking.

This is Aryan’s saving grace. He shines when he pushes the show into meta territory—taking digs at his infamous arrest, at privilege, at the ‘N’ word, and even at real-life situations the audience would instantly recognize. Surprisingly, it all lands well, proving he has a distinct and witty voice. Where things stumble is in balancing this meta playfulness with humour, serious drama, and endless cameos. Juggling all of that isn’t easy, and the gaps become visible from afar. That predictability I mentioned earlier creeps in, making parts of the show feel repetitive.

And yet, the show manages to keep its final twist intact. Despite not dropping breadcrumbs, the big reveal doesn’t feel out of place, which is quite a feat. Talking of performances, Kill star Lakshya oozes confidence, making sure you focus on him whenever he’s on screen. Raghav Juyal, meanwhile, is fast becoming one of my favourites—he makes everything look so effortless. Manoj Pahwa, as always, is brilliant, with comic timing so sharp that he elevates TBOB whenever he appears. Mona Singh brings a pleasant vibe with her screen presence and a good performance.

Where things falter is on the technical side. Jay Oza’s cinematography, surprisingly, isn’t up to his usual standard. For someone who’s worked on Gully Boy Raman Raghav 2.0, and Toofaan, this outing feels basic. The music, while decent, seems to lack the longevity you’d expect from a Bollywood-centric show.

The Ba***ds Of Bollywood Review: Final Verdict

Think of Aryan Khan’s directorial debut as a series-length version of Deewangi Deewangi filled with drama between the cameos. You may enjoy spotting the stars more than digging into the details, but that doesn’t mean the show is without merit—or flaws.

The Ba**ds Of Bollywood* is now streaming on Netflix.

FAQs:

Q: What is Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood about?

A: The series is a satirical take on the Hindi film industry, exploring themes of stardom, nepotism, ambition, and real-life Bollywood incidents.

Q: Where can I watch The Ba***ds of Bollywood?

A: The Ba***ds of Bollywood is streaming on Netflix.

Q: Who plays the lead role in The Ba***ds of Bollywood?

A: Lakshya plays aspiring actor Aasmaan Singh, who becomes an overnight star with his debut film in the story.

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