 "Netflix ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ Review")
Director: Aryan Khan
Cast: Lakshya Lalwani, Sahher Bambba, Bobby Deol, Raghav Juyal, Anya Singh, Manish Chaudhari, Mona Singh, Manoj Pahwa, Gautami Kapoor, Rajat Bedi
‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ is a brave and brilliant idea talking about how the entertainment industry functions. The show doesn’t spare anybody starting from the nepo-kids, the arm twisting of the producers, the under-world connection, infidelity and yet in the midst of all this mess some friendships are made for life.
The show definitely has the potential, but it was over stretched beyond requirement. It could have been easily squeezed into a film. Looks like Aryan Khan too had his moment of thrill too by taking a subtle dig at Sameer Wankhede in the very first episode of the show.
It is wacky and twisted no doubt and the ending is a complete shocker. The series follows the journey of Aasmaan Singh ( Lakshya ), an ambitious newcomer from a middle-class family in Delhi. He comes to Mumbai with dreams in his eyes to make it big as Shah Rukh Khan in Bollywood.
With his best friend Parvaiz (Raghav Juyal) and his manager Sanya (Anya Singh) who wants nothing but the best for him. But the young man is in a hurry to make it big, so he ends up signing three films with one of the notorious producers of Bollywood called Freddy played by Manish Chaudhari.
But his ever-supportive family and his friends are always by his side — his uncle Avtar (Manoj Pahwa), mother Neeta Singh (Mona Singh), and father Rajat Singh (Vijayant Kohli). Aasmaan with their support steps into the world of glitter and grit and realises that by just being talented and hardworking, he cannot make it in the industry.
The real problem starts when Aasmaan finds himself up against one of the biggest stars of Bollywood Ajay Talvar (Bobby Deol). Talvar just doesn’t want his daughter Karishma (Sahher Bambba to be paired opposite Aasmaan . As a viewer you may just think that probably he believes Aasmaan is not good enough to be paired opposite his daughter. Since they are playing lovers, he isn’t okay with his daughter doing intimate scenes with a middle-class boy. But the real story is far more twisted than what you think. The starry appearances of Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh, Sara Ali Khan, SS Rajamouli, Badshah, Disha Patani, makes the series worth a one-time watch.
Since it is mostly about Bollywood scandals and what happens behind the scenes, it is entertaining, but not sharp or immersive. Watch it till the end because the real twist is right at the end and that’s how you get to know as to why it is called ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ . Binge-watch it or sit through all the seven-episodes at one go, just the way I did, but don’t give this Netflix show a miss.
Rating: 3 out of 5
WATCH the trailer of Netflix ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ here:
Lachmi Deb Roy is the Entertainment Editor of Firstpost, Network18. She reviews films and series with a gender lens. She is a 'Rotten Tomatoes' certified critic. Her interviews are called 'Not Just Bollywood' because she takes a huge interest in world cinema. She has been the winner of the prestigious Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for two consecutive years, 2020 and 2021. OTT over theatrical releases is her preference unless and until it's a King Khan film. She takes interest in fashion, food and art reviews too.