June 8, 2025: Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, is officially stepping into the world of showbiz—but not as an actor. The star kid is making his much-anticipated debut as a director with a Netflix original series titled “The Ba*ds of Bollywood“, a dark comedy that offers a cheeky and satirical take on the inner workings of the Hindi film industry.
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Though the series is still in production and set for release in late 2025, it has already received early praise. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, during a recent appearance on Nikhil Kamath’s WTF podcast, shared that he has seen the first two episodes of the show. “It’s very fun. It’s very funny. I think people in India and outside of India know nothing about the inner workings of Bollywood. So it’s a really fun world. He’s [Aryan] a very good director,” Sarandos said.
The show was officially announced earlier this year at the Next on Netflix India event in Mumbai. Shah Rukh Khan made a special appearance at the event and revealed a personal anecdote about Aryan’s career path. The superstar shared that he had once tried to get Aryan a job at Netflix to assist someone in production, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans. “He came back to India and started writing instead,” Shah Rukh said. Aryan studied filmmaking and production at the University of Southern California (USC).
The Ba*ds of Bollywood** is described as a dark comedy and satire, with an “insider” lens on the glitzy and gritty behind-the-scenes reality of Bollywood. The series stars Lakshya and Sahher Bamba in lead roles and reportedly features cameos by big names including Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, and Ranveer Singh. Actors Bobby Deol and Mona Singh are also part of the cast.
With mounting excitement and Netflix’s backing, Aryan Khan’s directorial debut is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about releases of 2025.