Darshana Sugathan
Bollywood thrives on drama. But what if someone dared to turn its backstage scandals into an OTT spectacle? Enter The Ba***ds of Bollywood, Aryan Khan’s Netflix debut, brandishing a title audacious enough to make aunties clutch their pearls.
Equal parts satire and insider gossip, the series spills chai hotter than the tabloids and boasts more cameos than a Filmfare after-party.
Plot? Oh, Just Bollywood Being Bollywood
Meet Aasmaan Singh, a wide-eyed outsider whose one hit film plunges him into the shark-infested waters of stardom. Nepotism tantrums, PR smear campaigns, casting couches, and drug-bust déjà vu - the series is essentially Twitter’s Bollywood gossip threads come alive, only with glossier sets and far better lighting.
What gives the show its spark is Aryan Khan’s audacity. For a debutant, he doesn’t tread lightly - he gleefully takes potshots at the very industry his surname is tied to. That fearless bite the hand that feeds energy keeps the series fresh, even when the satire skims the surface. The cameos turn each episode into a Bollywood bingo: blink-and-miss star turns, cheeky self-parodies, and, of course, the inevitable Shah Rukh Khan wink - Easter eggs crafted for fans to dissect.
Performance-wise, Bobby Deol commands the screen as the star actor, while Manish Chaudhari exudes brooding gravitas as the ruthless producer. Lakshya Lalwani convinces as the lead, but it’s Raghav Juyal’s goofy sidekick Parvaiz who steals every scene with impeccable comic timing. Sahher Bambba brings charm and substance, never merely ornamental. All of this unfolds against a backdrop drenched in gloss, glamour.
But the chaos isn’t always clever. The satire, while playful, leans lightweight - more meme than manifesto. Nepotism, power struggles, and industry hypocrisy get poked at, but in bite-sized, Instagram-reel style. Don’t expect the razor-sharp dissection of Succession; this is more a Twitter roast with better cinematography. The writing overindulges, tossing every conceivable scandal into the mix, as if no gossip column could be left untouched. The result is undeniably entertaining, but overwhelming, like binging ten seasons of Page 3 headlines in a single night.
Then there’s the stumble of tone-deaf humour. Quips on sensitive themes like #MeToo land awkwardly, as if written by an edgy meme page rather than sharp satire. The music adds little relief: despite the hype, the much-touted “Gafoor” track is nowhere to be found, leaving fans scratching their heads. What remains is a string of generic nightclub anthems, their lyrics sounding like napkin scribbles rushed between beats.
Aryan Khan delivers a debut that’s bold, brash and self-aware of the very circus it lampoons. Ba**ds of Bollywood may not cut too deep, but it entertains; and makes for a worthy weekend binge.
