Aryan Khan has hit it out of the park with his directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood, a series that brims with digs at the industry. As Sameer Wankhede files a defamation suit over one of the scenes, Aryan revealed that while his Netflix series is fictional, it does include moments inspired by real experiences.
Aryan Khan on series inspired by reality
While speaking to Variety, Khan said, “We wanted to be self-deprecating, but not disrespectful anywhere. I think we maintained that line correctly. The guardrails were self-imposed because, when you’re part of the industry and making something about it, there’s a lot of respect. Taking a joke on yourself is the first and most important thing in comedy. People were extremely sporting, and we made sure never to push boundaries – only to laugh at ourselves.”
Aryan noted, “We were pushing it for screen, obviously, but obviously there’ll be things that are inspired. There’ll be scenes that are inspired on certain realities, and there’ll be exaggerations. It’s not obviously a documentary.”
“In this industry, there are many truths and many lies, often disguised as each other. That sense of mystery is what keeps audiences hooked, they may love it, hate it, or be intrigued, but they can’t ignore it,” he explained.
Aryan on making short film with SRK, Suhana
Talking about his passion for filmmaking, Aryan credited father SRK for helping him realise his dreams. Aryan Khan said, “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve preferred telling stories. I always felt I had a lot of things to say, and I just feel I could tell it in a different and interesting way. My father himself is extremely in-depth about the aspects of filmmaking, whether it is VFX, whether it is lighting, camera work, whatever. And ever since I was a kid, he would show me this – ‘You don’t actually get shot. This is how it happens.’”
Aryan revealed that he has been making short films with Bilal and Manav since the trio was 14-15 years old. “We wrote one during lockdown as well, which we just shot at home because we had two years of not much to do. And we shot it with my sister [Suhana Khan] and my dad, and I was just the DOP on that one,” Aryan shared.
The Ba***ds of Bollywood follows the chaotic, emotional journey of Aasmaan Singh (Lakshya) and his friends through the ruthless glamour of the film industry, the show offers an audacious peek into Bollywood’s beautiful mess- both on and off the screen.
