‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’, Aryan Khan’s debut directorial came on Netflix and let us delve to see what is there in this.
The first episode, Meet the Ba****ds, opens abruptly with a stuntman getting badly injured on set, only to be replaced by Asmaan, the backup stunt double who gets a full heroic elevation. Ajay Talwar (Bobby Deol) plays the archetypal industry dad, while his daughter Karishma makes her debut, bringing nepotism discussions to the table. But instead of sharpness, we get roundtables that drag longer than corporate meetings. Manish Choudhary as Freddy Sodahwallah leaves a genuinely menacing impression, but overall this first chapter is just a roll call of characters, more like an industry guest list than storytelling.
In the second episode Movie Mafia, emotions are forced, comedy in lighter vein fails and English dialogues sound profane. The Rajamouli–Aamir Khan cameo is hyped as “two geniuses in one frame” but reduced to trivial idli-sambar small talk. Ajay Talwar dreaming of his daughter’s debut opposite Ranveer Singh, only for Karan Johar to pair her with Asmaan instead, feels weak as conflict. A single clever line, “Moral support for Padmabhushan, life support for liver transplant”, lands well. The Freddy–Asmaan feud forms the crux here, with a hooking “auraton pe haath nahi uthaata” line.
Barbaad Mohabbat, the next episode introduces Emraan Hashmi as an intimacy coach, leading to cringe-inducing Heimlich-humping scenes in public. Manoj Pahwa as Asmaan’s uncle and Rajat Bedi try outdated comedy that feels contrived. Vulgar chatter about “happy endings” adds to the tastelessness.
The episode Bullshit Party brings Arshad Warsi, LGBT shots where lesbians smooching and even #MeToo jokes. Salman Khan pops in for a five-second cameo with Swag Se Karenge BGM, but pointless. The main conflict — Karishma torn between middle-class Asmaan and Sameer (a rich groom) still drags.
My Hero part shifts to kidnaps and blackmails, with underworld links shown so superficially. The Filmfirst Awards episode ropes in SRK and his friends in another purposeless cameo fest, with emotions that feel contrived and flat. The crisis twist finally arrives here but lacks impact.
The finale, Picture ka Title Hoga, packs typical fights, some over-the-top action, and Ranbir’s cameo. Bobby Deol gives his best performance, and the final twist is genuinely engaging. But the path to reach this point is painfully long. The trailer promised spice, but the series runs on predictable cliches until the final unpredictable struff comes in last 20 minutes.
Aryan Khan shows glimpses of craft and intent, yet the writing and screenplay feel sluggish, testing audience patience and nudging the fast forward button.
Lakshya Lalwani takes center stage as Aasmaan Singh, Sahher Bambba as Karishma Talwar made her presence felt; Mona Singh as the mother of Aasman has significant part to play in final episode. The real menace comes from Manish Chaudhari’s Freddy Sodawallah, who actually leaves an impression.
Overall, this seven episode saga could have been tightened into a sharp two and half hour film. Stretched into OTT format, it feels feeble and tiring, skippable at home. Except for the final unexpected twist, rest all is tedious to watch on OTT.
Bottomline: Climax Works- Rest Jerks
