'The Ba***ds of Bollywood' review: Meta and masala in Aryan's debut

At one point in the series, Maheep Kapoor and 'nepo-baby' Shanaya are posing in front of paps, and Maheep hisses: "Smile beta, don't be like Aryan Khan".

At this point, the series has reached the edge of ennui, but this little meta exchange makes you grin.

That, in short, is how Aryan Khan's debut directorial venture is — it trips and falls often but brushes off, gets up and smirks nonchalantly. It's perpetually keen to showcase its flaws and air its director's pet peeves and loves.

This is Aryan saying to the world — see, I am so in-your-face and I will keep shoving that attitude down your throat. The self-awareness and wink-nudge references become a bit much after a while. 'The Studio' (Apple TV) and Zoya Akhtar's 'Luck by Chance' (2009) are similar attempts but are sharper and more satirical.

This is a bold attempt, certainly, especially with its nods to Aryan's own arrest, Bollywood's fakery and absurdities and, yeah, nepotism. Karan Johar does a wonderfully entertaining extended cameo, and there's enough star power here to keep you till the last episode, including an SRK appearance.

In fact, longtime fans of Shah Rukh will recognise his sensibilities and sense of humour both in the writing and the presentation. But it is the second half that is overcooked and mawkish. From the 5th episode, it careens off-track as badly as Bobby Deol, playing a somewhat has-been superstar Ajay Talvar, does in his pink Ferrari in the film's climactic chase. 

The actual leads, Lakshya as Aasmaan Singh and Sahher Bambba as Karishma, hold their own despite the uneven pacing and dips in momentum. But the spice here is in the adornment, not the plot as such.