The series follows actor Aasmaan Singh from Delhi, whose successful debut under producer Freddy Sodawallah leads to a role opposite Karishma Talvar in Karan Johar’s film, but he must contend with Freddy’s multi-film contract, interference from Karishma’s father, Ajay Talvar, emerging romance, and unforeseen complications. The series premiered on 18 September 2025 with seven episodes and received positive reviews from critics, who praised Khan's direction, the story, screenplay, and performances.
Premise
Aasmaan Singh is a young actor whose debut film, produced by the domineering Freddy Sodawallah, becomes a hit, earning him a role opposite Karishma Talvar in a new project directed by Karan Johar. Freddy’s insistence on an exclusive three-film contract threatens Aasmaan’s opportunity, pushing him, his manager Sanya, and friend Parvaiz to navigate Bollywood’s competitive landscape. As Aasmaan’s bond with Karishma grows, her father, veteran actor Ajay Talvar, disapproves and attempts to sabotage Aasmaan’s career, while personal and professional challenges, including public scandals and family pressures, test their ambitions in the unpredictable world of Bollywood.
Aasmaan Singh lives in Mumbai with his friend Parvaiz and uncle Avtaar Singh, a former playback singer. His debut film, produced by Freddy Sodawallah’s company, becomes a hit. Aasmaan’s parents, Rajat and Neeta Singh, visit from Delhi to celebrate. At a party, Aasmaan meets actor Ajay Talvar. His manager, Sanya Ahmed, pitches him to Karan Johar for a film role, but Freddy pressures Aasmaan into signing a three-film deal. At a roundtable conference hosted by Sanjeev, Aasmaan insults Karishma Talvar, Ajay’s daughter, for her industry connections, causing tension with Ajay. Impressed by Aasmaan’s boldness, Karan offers him the role.
2
"Movie Mafia"
18September2025(2025-09-18)
Aasmaan, Sanya, and Parvaiz meet Freddy and encounter Jaraj Saxena, who has been sidelined for 15 years after signing with another producer. Freddy initially supports Aasmaan’s work with Karan but later urges him to cancel. At Dharma Productions, Aasmaan learns Karishma is the female lead and apologizes for his earlier remarks, but a reporter’s comment sparks a scene. Aasmaan signs a commercial to fund his father Rajat’s liver transplant. Rajat advises him to stay resilient. Ajay disapproves of Aasmaan’s casting opposite Karishma. When Freddy pressures Aasmaan to abandon Karan’s project, Aasmaan cancels the three-film deal and leaves.
3
"Barbaad Mohabbat"
18September2025(2025-09-18)
Aasmaan, Parvaiz, Sanya, Karishma, and her bodyguard Sukhi travel to Goa to rehearse intimate scenes. The intimacy coach is replaced by Emraan Hashmi, who struggles to train them. Ajay monitors Karishma through Sukhi. After failing to perform, Aasmaan and Karishma are locked on a balcony, where they bond and improve their acting, impressing Hashmi. The next day, Aasmaan performs a Heimlich maneuver when Karishma chokes on a fishbone, and the incident goes viral, causing a scandal. Karishma’s brother Shaumik embarrasses the family by publicizing the news. Karishma explains the situation to her parents. Freddy assigns lawyers against Aasmaan, but Parvaiz’s friends force Freddy to sign a new deal. Ajay refuses Freddy’s request for help, unwilling to work with him if Aasmaan joins Karan’s film.
4
"Bullshit Party"
18September2025(2025-09-18)
Aasmaan and his friends celebrate when Parvaiz secures a new deal from Freddy, though they overlook his coercive methods. Freddy faces challenges as Ajay refuses to work with him due to Aasmaan’s involvement in Karan’s film, threatening Sodawallah Productions. Karan approaches Aasmaan and Avtaar for his movie. Ajay grows concerned about Karishma’s friendship with Aasmaan and invites him home to rehearse but becomes uneasy with the script’s intimate scenes. At Karishma’s birthday party, her boyfriend Sameer proposes under pressure from Ajay, and she reluctantly accepts. Aasmaan leaves the party upset. Karishma, learning Ajay orchestrated the proposal, questions Aasmaan about his feelings, but he is kidnapped by goons before responding.
5
"My Hero"
18September2025(2025-09-18)
Aasmaan is taken to meet Ghafoor Ismail, an underworld don. Jaraj Saxena obtains a video of the meeting and uses it to strike a deal with Freddy to ruin Aasmaan’s career. Freddy leverages the video to convince Ajay to sign a film with him in exchange for removing Aasmaan from Karan’s project. The video leads to Aasmaan’s removal from the film. Karishma suspects Ajay’s involvement but he denies it. She visits Aasmaan but misinterprets seeing him with another woman as him moving on. Meanwhile, Rajat undergoes a liver transplant, but his body rejects it, and he passes away.
6
"The Filmfirst Awards"
18September2025(2025-09-18)
Aasmaan attends the Filmfirst Awards with his family, where he is nominated for Best Actor. Karishma discovers Ajay’s role in removing Aasmaan from Karan’s film. Aasmaan wins the award and delivers a speech. Backstage, Karishma reveals Ajay’s actions, leading Aasmaan to confront and punch Ajay, sparking a public scandal. Karishma challenges Ajay over his interference and expresses her desire to be with Aasmaan. Ajay locks her in a study, but she contacts Aasmaan, confessing her feelings. Aasmaan and Parvaiz rescue Karishma from Ajay’s house.
7
"Picture ka title hoga..."
18September2025(2025-09-18)
Aasmaan and Karishma plan to marry, but Ajay intercepts them before they can sign the marriage papers, leading to a confrontation. Neeta reveals that Aasmaan and Karishma are half-siblings from her past affair with Ajay, halting their plans. Aasmaan and Karishma agree to remain friends and part ways. Aasmaan and his team partner with Ghafoor Ismail to produce more films. Meanwhile, Jaraj, Freddy and Jeejeebhoy orchestrate a meeting between Neeta and Ajay, blackmailing them to star in a new Sodawallah Productions family drama series titled The Bastards of Bollywood, including Aasmaan and Karishma.
Production
The Ba***ds of Bollywood marks the directorial and writing debut of Aryan Khan, who also serves as the showrunner. Produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies Entertainment, the series was co-written by Khan with Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan.[2] Khan, a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television Production, drew on his industry experience to craft a satirical take on Bollywood’s inner workings.[3] The series features a large ensemble cast, including Bobby Deol, Lakshya Lalwani, Sahher Bambba and cameos from Bollywood figures such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Karan Johar. Filming took place primarily in Mumbai, capturing the city’s film industry setting, with cinematography by Jay Pinak Oza and editing by Nitin Baid.[4] A music video, "Ghafoor", featuring Tamannaah Bhatia, Shakti Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and Ranjeet, directed by Farah Khan, was created to promote the series but used only as a background score in the series.[5][6]
The soundtrack features an original score by Shashwat Sachdev and songs composed by Sachdev, Anirudh Ravichander and Ujwal Gupta. The music rights were acquired by T-Series. The album, released on 16 September 2025, includes 13 tracks.[7][8] The first single, "Badli Si Hawa Hai", written by Kumaar and sung by Arijit Singh and Amira Gill, was released on 23 August 2025.[9] "Tenu Ki Pata", featuring vocals by Diljit Dosanjh, Aryan Khan and Ujwal Gupta, was released on 11 September 2025.[10] "Ghafoor", with vocals by Shilpa Rao and Ujwal Gupta, was released as a music video on 19 September 2025.[11]
The Ba***ds of Bollywood premiered on Netflix on 18 September 2025.[12]
Reception
The series received generally positive ratings from critics with some critical reservations. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 9 critics' reviews are positive.[13]
Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 2.5 stars out of 5 and said that "Aryan Khan's debut as a director is a mixed bag -- while it entertains in parts, it deflates into seen-before ordinariness when it segues into showing us ‘the other side’ of the film industry."[14] Simran Khan Times Now rated it 3.5/5 stars and said that "With his debut show, Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan takes viewers on a witty, thrilling, and hilarious ride into Bollywood’s chaotic world."[15] Sana Farzeen of India Today gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated that "‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ is not perfect, but it’s honest, funny, and absolutely dramatic, something that we all love, isn't it? The next time this debutant director steps out, people will be queuing up for an autograph. But Aryan, pen kidhar hai? (Where is the pen)?"[16]
Yatamanyu Narain of News 18 rated it 3.5/5 stars and observed that "Aryan Khan’s Netflix debut is a daring satire filled with nepotism digs, celebrity cameos, and a sharp take on Bollywood hypocrisy."[17] Abhimanyu Mathur of Hindustan Times gave 3 stars out of 5 and said that " Aryan Khan's directorial debut never takes itself seriously, which helps it be entertaining, but leaves it a little shallow."[18] Hardika Gupta of NDTV observed that "By the time the final episode wraps, you realise this isn't meant to be dissected like high art. It's meant to be consumed like Bollywood itself: loud, colourful, problematic, indulgent, but great fun if you let it be."[19]
Sakshi Verma of India TV gave 3 stars out 5 and commented that "The Ba**ds Of Bollywood is a classic masala entertainer that is full of surprises, fun, drama and thrills. The show is not boring at any point and tries to make a glittery remark amid all the chaos and distress. The show is bouncy and should be taken as a fun watch.[20] Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India rated it 3.5/5 stars and said that "Daringly self-aware, the seven part series finds its footing in quieter moments—when it isn't busy showcasing star cameos or industry jabs. This is less of a scathing satire and more of an edgy, meta love letter to the film industry."[21] Aashna Nadkarni of Mashable commented that "It is a complete treat for every Bollywood enthusiast!"[22]
Sahir Avik D’souza of The Quint rated it 3.5/5 stars and writes in his review that "If Luck By Chance and Om Shanti Om had a foul-mouthed lovechild—that child would be Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood."[23]Bollywood Hungama gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 and said that "THE BA***DS OF BOLLYWOOD is a hilarious and entertaining take on Bollywood and works because of Aryan Khan’s expert direction, crazy-n-entertaining moments, performances, shocking climax and starry cameos."[24]Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com rated it 3/5 stars and stated that "Aryan Khan has made The Ba***ds of Bollywood entertaining and wicked."[25]
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