Aryan Khan made his directorial debut with The Ba**ds of Bollywood*. It is a bold satire that weaves fictional storytelling with unmistakably real-life Bollywood controversies.
It’s drawing attention for how cleverly it dramatizes events from the industry and even Aryan’s own past.
One of the most talked about parallels is the nod to Shah Rukh Khan’s old clash at Wankhede Stadium. In a flashback, a security guard bars an entry to an actor’s vanity van — a scene many see as mirroring SRK’s real confrontation at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium years ago. The series also includes a character strongly resembling Sameer Wankhede, the former NCB officer who was central to Aryan’s 2021 drug case. The show portrays this character making aggressive raids, targeting actors even when evidence is lacking — a move many interpret as Aryan’s commentary on his own legal ordeal.
Beyond that, the narrative taps into the Kartik Aaryan – Dharma Productions breakup. In The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, a character named “Aasmaan Singh” is signed by a big production house only to be dropped mid-stream — eerily reminiscent of Kartik being ousted from Dostana 2 under Karan Johar’s banner.
The show also plays with the idea of exclusive multi-film contracts, something Bollywood studios — especially big ones — have historically used to control actors’ projects. In the series, actors are bound into deals that limit their freedom, amplifying the sense that the industry’s rules often suppress creative mobility.
The Bads Of Bollywood Trailer:
A standout moment comes when a police officer detains someone smoking and then realizes he’s nabbed the wrong person — a satirical echo of public scandals involving law enforcement overreach.
A track in The Ba***ds of Bollywood shows a Dubai-based gangster named Gafoor (Arshad Warsi) trying to invest in a film. There had been murmurs of Dawood Ibrahim funnelling his money into Bollywood in the 90s, which remained just a rumour until 2001. That year, film producer Bharat Shah was arrested for using mafia funds to finance his film, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. The financier and producer was sentenced to a year in prison.
All told, The Ba**ds of Bollywood* doesn’t shy from holding up a mirror to real drama in real people’s lives. It blends industry gossip with genuine commentary, letting viewers decipher where fact ends and fiction begins.
(Also read: The Bads Of Bollywood Series Review: Crazy, Fun, Sassy Debut By Aryan Khan With A Witty Satire On Bollywood)
