NEW DELHI: Aryan Khan's debut series is a refreshing surprise. Across seven episodes, he balances humor, emotion, and action with a confidence rarely seen in first-time di-rectors. Right from the start, even the title playscoy-re-leased as The Ba*ds of Bol-lywood, with the asterisks hiding the word, it isn't until the final episode that the full giving the series its sharpest punch. What makes it even bolder is Aryan's refusal to sidestep the "nepo kid" debate-in-stead, he weaves it directly into the narrative, using
Karan Johar also deserves credit for his acting work here - he brings a naturalness to his role that shows he should step in front of the camera more often.
The casting is the series' biggest strength. Lakshya as Aasmaan Singh anchors the story with charm and bite, while the supporting cast refuses to fade into the background. Raghav Juyal brings depth to best friend Parvaiz, Anya Singh com-mands attention as man-ager Sanya Ahmed, and Manoj Pahwa delivers as uncle Avtaar Singh. Sah her Bambba shya's energy as Karishma Talvar, playing her role with surprising nuance. Even the cameos land perfectly Emraan Hashmi's brief appearance and Arshad
Warsi's memorable turn add flavor without disrupt-ing the flow.
Karan Johar also deserves credit for his acting work here - he brings a natural-ness to his role that shows he should step in front of the camera more often.
Growing up in Shah Rukh Khan's household clearly provided an educa-tion in storytelling. Aryan demonstrates remarkable tonal control: spectacle and satire blend seamlessly with genuine emotion, and even the profanity feels natural rather than forced.
The ending delivers the series' boldest move-com-pletely unpredictable and impossible to anticipate. Bobby Deol arrives with his signature charisma in-tact, proving three decades haven't dulled his screen presence. What lingers after the credits, though, is a nag ging question: how much of this is fiction, and how much reflects Bollywood's actual history? The series thrives in that ambiguous space where rumor and reality blur.
It hooked me so com-pletely that I skipped most of the India-Pakistan match on Sunday night - and if a debut series can drag you away from cricket like that, it's clearly doing something right.
