The first glimpse of The Ba***ds of Bollywood kicks off with familiar music — the theme song of Aditya Chopra’s 2000 hit romantic drama Mohabbatein, starring Shah Rukh Khan. But as the silhouetted figure steps into the spotlight while narrating a tragic love story, it turns out to not be Shah Rukh, but his son Aryan Khan, who will make his directorial debut with the Netflix India show.

Aryan, dressed in all black, is spitting image of his father as he introduces the anticlimactic tone of his show — a series about Bollywood, which will be a mix of “bahut saara pyaar (lots of love)” and “thoda sa vaar (a little bit of a roast)”. As he concludes his pitch, Aryan promises, yet again in trademark Shah Rukh Khan style: “Picture toh saalon se baki hai, par show ab shuru hoga.”

The Ba***ds of Bollywood will be headlined by Lakshya and Sahher Bambba, and will boast of an ensemble cast including Mona Singh, Manoj Pahwa, Manish Chaudhari, Raghav Juyal, Anya Singh, and Gautami Kapoor. The preview of the show will be on August 20.

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The official synopsis of the series reads, “An ambitious outsider and his friends navigate the larger-than-life yet uncertain world of Bollywood. The series blends self-aware humour with a high-stakes narrative — and promises a host of unforgettable cameos, blockbuster thrills and an adventurous ride into the world of Indian cinema.”

Produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, the series is rumoured to feature cameos by Bobby Deol, Ranbir Kapoor, and several other big names. However, the release date remains tightly under wraps for now. It is co-created by Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan, who also share writing credits with Aryan Khan.

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In an Ask SRK session on X on Saturday, Shah Rukh Khan confirmed that many “friends from the industry” have given cameos in the film, and that he’d also pop up for a special appearance in the show. “Lots of lovely friends from the industry have participated in Aryan’s series. They’ve been very gracious and loving toward him. Main toh hun hi… Haq se (I’m obviously there too… rightfully so),” Shah Rukh tweeted.

Everyone from Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, filmmaker Karan Johar to actor Anil Kapoor has vouched for Aryan Khan’s talent after watching The Ba***ds of Bollywood. While Ted called the show “really fun,” Karan proclaimed “prince” Aryan would surprise everyone. Anil even called him a “young Manmohan Desai.” Even the cast of The Ba***ds of Bollywood have lauded Aryan’s directorial voice and commitment, from Manoj Pahwa to Manish Chaudhari.

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Prior to The Ba***ds of Bollywood, Aryan lent his voice to Simba, while his father Shah Rukh Khan voiced Mufasa, in the Hindi dubbed version of Disney’s new live-action The Lion King franchise. Shah Rukh revealed that Aryan doesn’t want to be an actor like him not only because filmmaking is his calling, but also because he would always face the threat of comparisons with his father.

Also Read | ‘Aryan Khan is an outstanding director, his foundation is very strong; The Ba***ds of Bollywood trailer is around the corner,’ says Manish Chaudhari

Aryan’s sister Suhana Khan also made her debut a couple of years ago, playing Veronica in Zoya Akhtar’s 2023 coming-of-age period musical The Archies, which also dropped on Netflix. She’ll be next seen making her theatrical debut in Siddharth Anand’s crime drama King, in which she’ll share screen space with her father Shah Rukh. The filming of King is currently on hold, as Shah Rukh recovers from a shoulder injury he sustained while shooting an action sequence for the film.