'The Ba***Ds Of Bollywood' Review: Aryan Khan's Debut Web Series Is Glossy But Lacks The Edge

In the 2007 Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster Om Shanti Om - a satire that was a homage to retro Bollywood and its eccentricities - one of the standout scenes was set at an awards show. Packed with star appearances, the sequence brilliantly spoofed the insecurities and fragile egos behind Bollywood's glittering award nights. My favourite was the hilarious Akshay Kumar cameo where he throws an over-the-top tantrum after losing the trophy to Shah Rukh Khan - a moment that's still meme-worthy.

Cut to The Ba***ds of Bollywood, the much-hyped Netflix web series that sees the directorial debut of Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan. Here too, one of the funniest set-pieces is an awards-night spoof. The“Filmfirst” red carpet is a who's who of Bollywood - Rajkummar Rao, Arjun Kapoor, Shanaya Kapoor, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Disha Patani all gamely throw fun at themselves and their peers. And then, in comes Shah Rukh Khan, playing an exaggerated version of himself. A newbie actor even drops King Khan's iconic OSO line about the universe conspiring to fulfil your wish in a not-so-subtle hat tip.

But... and this is a big but... a homage, inspiration, copy, tribute, whatever you call it, lands only if the foundation it's built on is original and strong. The Ba***ds of Bollywood doesn't quite cut it. The script leans so heavily on the crutches of star cameos (most already revealed in the trailer) and painfully obvious self-aware gags that the main plot itself becomes feeble. In isolation, these tricks work (probably the reason why the trailer looked so cool) but together they feel like a patchwork.

The show is an exercise in showcasing Aryan Khan's many talents. The young man is not just the creator, director and show runner but has also written the dialogues and script (the latter, alongside Bilal Siddiqui and Manav Chauhan). The curiosity around The Ba***ds of Bollywood is essentially the curiosity about Aryan. The answer to your question: Yes, Mr Khan has promise and has used the platform he has been gifted with, rather well. Technically, the show is as polished as any A-list production with fantastic sound design, costumes, editing and music. But a word about the dialogues: the one-liners are sharp but the overuse of cuss words (seriously, what's with OTT shows sprinkling four-letter abuses like confetti?) ends up grating after a while. Perhaps one would not have minded it, had the plot been as smart. Unfortunately, the screenplay has spark but lacks the edge.

Aasman Singh (Lakshya Lalwani) is a struggling newcomer who strikes gold with his first film, produced by a ruthless producer Freddy Sodawallah (Manish Chaudhary). Supported by his best friend Parvaiz (Raghav Juyal), manager Sanya (Anya Singh) and a foul-mouthed uncle, Avataar Singh (Manoj Pahwa), he tries to navigate the big bad world of Bollywood populated with greedy filmmakers, failed actors, nepo kids, powerful superstars and even the underworld. At the centre of the conflict is a contract that Freddy wants Aasman to be bound to - it clashes with the rising star's ambition to work with Karan Johar. The resulting shenanigans see Aasman falling for an ageing but powerful superstar's daughter, Karishma Talvar (Sahher Bamba), bringing him into confrontation with not just the said superstar Ajay Talvar (Bobby Deol) but also Freddy and a desperate old actor Jaraj (Rajat Bedi). How he makes his way before a big reveal upends his life forms the crux of the seven episodes.

Set in the heart of Bollywood, the show works best when it takes on the foibles of the industry. The inside jokes are aplenty, and if you follow gossip magazines and websites, the scenes are sure to make you smirk. The script spares no one - journalists who host roundtables and scream bad reviews but attend parties thrown by producers; nepo kids defending their lineage; big stars making excuses to avoid certain filmmakers while going out of their way to accommodate others; producers who play havoc with newcomers' careers, and more. The biggest shade is thrown at a certain high-ranking officer of the NCG (any resemblance to the NCB - Narcotics Control Bureau - is purely coincidental) who busts a film party and calls those present“druggists”. In one scene, Freddy has a stern piece of advice for Aasman: 'Don't do drugs'. Cheeky!

Then there are the stars who do not contribute anything to the main plot but keep the proceedings engaging. What works here is that their parts suit their personas. We have Emraan Hashmi playing an intimacy coach. We see Salman Khan getting bored at a party, worrying he'll become a dad. There is Arjun Kapoor making a snarky remark at Rajkummar Rao. Sara Ali Khan feigns her 'middle-class' traits and so on. But the most fun is had by Karan Johar, playing a self-important director.“Not my cup of coffee,” he says at one point. At another, he calls himself the“movie mafia”.

What doesn't work is the central storyline. The Ba**ds of Bollywood had all the makings of an absurdist, edgy, darkly funny takedown of the industry but the narrative keeps tripping over itself. The twists and turns often feel contrived, leaving several arcs dangling. Take Aasman's uncle Avatar: he's given generous screentime and even a subplot about his failed singing career, but it doesn't feel organic. Similarly, the track about Aasman's father and his illness is handled with such gravitas that it clashes with the rest of the show's irreverent vibe. The inconsistent tonality prevents this show from reaching the heights it could have. The final twist is meant to be shocking, but it feels weird. The writers have cleverly shoehorned a hit Bobby Deol song of the past into this storyline but serious cinephiles would have seen a similar ploy in Rekhachitram, a South Indian film released earlier this year.

The performances are effective though not outstanding. Lakshya and Raghav, the dynamites from Kill, carry the series on their shoulders efficiently. The girls, Anya and Sahher, are strictly average. The senior actors are the best. Bobby Deol, oozes menace and warmth equally while Mona Singh, playing Aasman's mother and a catalyst in the twist, is graceful. And Manoj Pahwa is terrific.

In the end, The Ba***ds of Bollywood is glossy, gossipy and binge-worthy. You will also know what the asterix in the title stands for (it's the word you were thinking of!). But it never quite becomes the biting, audacious show the trailers promised. Does it deserve a second season? Probably. But Aryan Khan? He deserves another shot; perhaps with a script as daring, and the truths as unfiltered as the industry he's holding a mirror to.

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