Look, I’ll be direct — you need to go watch The Bastards of Bollywood ASAP.
Aryan Khan’s directorial debut has everyone talking; there’s hardly anything new to add to the conversation.
Critics have dismissed The Bastards of Bollywood for missing some imaginary mark, and fans have been all eager to sing songs of praise.
Today, I side with the fans.
They have recognised The Bastards of Bollywood for what it is — quick-witted, raunchy, meta, and original (enough).
At a time when almost everyone has gotten bored with Bollywood for its cut-copy-repeat formula, The Bastards of Bollywood stands out for its unapologetic take on what is usually deemed to be a problematic industry.
So let’s jump into it.
Table of Contents
The Bastards of Bollywood — Review at a Glance
- Story: 4.5/5
- Acting: 3.5/5
- Music: 3.5/5
- Direction: 4/5
Pros: Witty pop culture and Bollywood references, a genuine plot twist
Cons: Hardly any
Must-Watch: YES!
The Bastards of Bollywood Review — A Deep Dive
As the son of Bollywood’s biggest superstar, it’s only natural to presume Khan had a lot riding on his debut. Well, he rose to the occasion and how!
(I will confess: I wasn’t expecting myself to like the show from whatever little clips I had seen online, but Parvaiz singing to Emraan Hashmi was all the convincing I needed to go to Netflix. Since then, I have practically been begging my best friends to quickly finish the show so I can share memes with them. Yes, this is the first time in a long time that I have felt this way about a modern Bollywood production).
The crux of the matter is that The Bastards of Bollywood is exactly the kind of show that only someone like Khan — who has seen the industry from the unique position of being SRK’s oldest child — could envision. It’s also appreciated that the younger Khan did not shy away from taking funny jabs and necessary risks; this is the defining quality of The Bastards of Bollywood.
The Bastards of Bollywood is the product of nepotism, sure, but it’s also nepotism done really well. Khan has used his camera to tell a story only he could tell, and he’s taken us along for the ride.
This show contains a loooooot of Bollywood and pop culture references from different decades; in fact, Khan blatantly ensures you (the audience) are in on the joke, and he does so in an inherently filmy way.
It’s also worth noting that the pop culture references in The Bastards of Bollywood aren’t there for the heck of it. From the Wankhede quip to Rajat Bedi’s character arc, the story takes care of the many nuances that permeate our culture today.
Khan has seemingly used his network to his advantage, with The Bastards of Bollywood featuring big actors in cameos. (It reminded everyone of how Farah Khan reunited Bollywood bigwigs for Om Shanti Om’s title track).
The cast works really well together and has a great bond. Raghav Juyal deserves all the praise he has gotten for his performance, but Manoj Pahwa, Mona Singh, and Bedi also deserve a shoutout.
The story is fresh, relevant, and self-aware, and it carves a space in your heart from the beginning. It’s bingeable and keeps you invested for the entire duration.
For everyone who has (rightly) felt Bollywood’s stagnation in the past few years, The Bastards of Bollywood is a boon. It retains ample mirch and masala and is an entertainer through and through.
It is, most certainly, the kind of show that you will discuss with your friends the minute you’re done watching.
And trust me, the climax is actually a good one.
(On a side note, I was also really happy to not see a major PR push for The Bastards of Bollywood. What often happens is either a song goes viral, or your Instagram gets flooded with content about a movie or show. This practice is rather irritating for most modern users, and it can get really irritating really fast. I am not sure if this was deliberate or if I was just lucky, but I only saw a few pieces of content from the show, and I am really glad it wasn’t shoved down my throat on reels).
The Bastards of Bollywood Cast Details
- Lakshya: Aasmaan Singh
- Bobby Deol: Ajay Talvar
- Sahher Bambba: Karishma Talvar
- Anya Singh: Sanya
- Raghav Juyal: Parvaiz
- Manoj Pahwa: Avtaar Singh
- Rajat Bedi: Jaraj Saxena
- Manish Chaudhari: Freddy Sodawallah
- Mona Singh: Neeta Singh
