Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan proves his film-making chops with 'The Ba***ds of Bollywood'

Nepotism is practically a rite of passage in Bollywood. To the outside world, the bias towards celebrity kids has been a longstanding point of contention. 

That said, the industry isn't impenetrable for talented actors. Or those wanting to break into the different facets away from the camera. 

This brings me to “The Ba***ds of Bollywood”, a seven-part Netflix series created, written and directed by Aryan Khan.

Of course, being the son of Shah Rukh Khan (SRK), a billionaire actor and film producer, his foray into the film industry isn’t surprising. But unlike other star kids, he never wanted to follow his father’s footsteps in front of the camera. 

Aryan’s interest has always been behind the scenes, and his father, who is also hailed as the "Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", fully supported his decision in the same way he supported his daughter Suhana, who made her acting debut in “The Archies”.

Privy to the inner workings of the industry, Aryan has poured his knowledge into conceiving the characters of this offering. The characters are sassy, in-your-face and unapologetic. The casting and the guest appearances are truly mind-blowing.

The series centres on Aasmaan Singh (Lakshya), a talented newcomer making his big break in Freddy Sodawallah’s (Manish Chaudhari) action movie, “Revolver”. 

Supported by his best friend Parvaiz (Raghav Juyal), business-savvy manager Sanya (Anya Singh), mother Neeta Singh (Mona Singh), ailing father Rajat Singh (Vijayant Kohli) and doting uncle Avtar (Manoj Pahwa), Aasmaan checks all the boxes as an actor who can go far in the industry. 

Aware of his cash cow potential, Freddy offers him a three-film deal on the back of "Revolver". Meanwhile, Sanya is eyeing an even bigger follow-up movie with the inimitable Karah Johar for Aasmaan.

Not sold on the whole pretty boy vibe, Karan’s attention is piqued when he realises Aasmaan is no pushover. 

Calling out superstar Ajay Talvar’s (Bobby Deol) daughter, Karishma (Sahher Bambba), for being entitled and growing up with a silver spoon, on a popular roundtable chat show, seals the deal; he bags the lead role in Karan’s upcoming film. 

Unbeknownst to Sanya, Aasmaan signed the contract with Freddy. This becomes problematic as Freddy needs Aasmaan to replace another actor in an upcoming film, which clashes with the shoot for Karan’s project. 

A well-meaning Parvaiz, who is friends with a criminal gang, pulls a few strings to help get Aasmaan out of Freddy’s contract.

However, this decision comes back to bite all of them before the shoot for Karan’s movie even starts. 

This is where the storyline plays into the traditional Bollywood storytelling of young love torn apart by family. The more time Karishma and Aasmaan spend working on getting their character dynamics right, the more it unsettles Ajay. 

Although he appears to be supportive of his daughter’s dream, he is calling in every favour and using his influence to ensure Aasmaan is taken off the project. 

The motive behind Ajay’s reason is the plot twist in the series - but it is one you don’t see coming.

While SRK and wife Gauri serve as producers on the project, which is made under the family production company, Red Chillies Entertainment, Aryan deserves praise for conceiving such a deliciously dramatic and engaging series. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if he moulded characters on real-life figures, but he has done a stellar job with the script and direction. In fact, let's take a minute to talk about the writing. The characters have their well-defined backgrounds, and the script is tailored to their personalities.

The narrative is exceptionally sharp, propelled by humour, and embraces the temper tantrums, foul language, backstabbing, and inherent drama associated with the film industry. It also doesn’t shy away from the nepotism issue and celebrates the LGBT community. 

Overall, excellent cast and execution. While Aryan's lineage undoubtedly provided him with this opportunity, it does not diminish his proven film-making abilities. 

Kudos to him and, fingers crossed, that we get a sequel. 

Rating: **** a standout series with exceptional qualities.