
So, what really goes on behind the glamour of Bollywood? Aryan Khan might have the answer.
The 27-year-old, Shah Rukh Khan’s son, is footing into the limelight, not as an actor, but as a director, with his first-ever series The Ba**ds of Bollywood. Set to premiere on Netflix on September 18, the show has already grabbed headlines with its sharp, no-holds-barred teaser released on August 20.
This isn’t your usual feel-good industry story. Aryan’s series takes a hard, satirical look at the Hindi film world, peeling back layers of fame, ego, hypocrisy, and ambition. And he doesn’t hold back. The teaser is edgy, chaotic, and packed with moments that hint at the dark absurdities of stardom.
At the centre of it all is Lakshya, playing a young actor desperate to be taken seriously in a world built on image and influence. Raghav Juyal plays his fast-talking best friend who’s riding his own wave of success, while Bobby Deol appears as the industry’s biggest star, powerful, polished, and potentially detrimental. There’s even a glance of Karan Johar in an intense outburst, suggesting the show won’t shy away from obfuscating the line between fiction and reality.
Also catching attention are surprise cameos by Salman Khan and Ranveer Singh, strategically placed to both ground the series in Bollywood’s real-life landscape and challenge its audience to read between the lines.
Despite the weight of his surname, Aryan didn’t try to mask his nerves at the Netflix event. Standing in front of a packed crowd, he openly acknowledged the pressure of making a debut like this. But what came across more than anything was intent, the drive to tell a story that doesn’t play it safe.
The series features an ensemble cast that includes Sahher Bamba, Manoj Pahwa, Mona Singh, Manish Chaudhari, Anya Singh, Vijayant Kohli, and Gautami Kapoor. Each adds depth to a narrative built on sharp writing and insider awareness.
The Ba**ds of Bollywood feels like a calculated risk by someone who has grown up watching the machine from the inside and now wants to show the world what it really looks like when the cameras stop rolling.
Aryan Khan’s first step into filmmaking is bold, layered, and surprisingly self-aware. Whether it sparks debate or backlash, it’s already done enough to demand attention.