Aryan Khan marks his debut with Netflix’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood, set to release on September 18.
Once scrutinised under now-dropped drug allegations, he seeks to reshape his narrative.
Khan steps into the industry as a director, beyond his father’s shadow, attempting to shape a distinct artistic identity.
In October 2021, Aryan Khan, the eldest son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, was turned into a national sensation when he was arrested during a drug raid on a luxury cruise ship. For weeks, the story devoured headlines, prime-time debates, and social media feeds. Aryan then spent nearly a month in custody, before securing bail. The case collapsed when the Narcotics Control Bureau acknowledged a lack of evidence and dropped his name from the chargesheet. By then, the narrative had already sprinted ahead of fact. In a country where celebrity is magnified, his ordeal became less about truth and more about the spectacle of a star-son on trial.
In such a politically charged and polarised environment, Outlook’s November 1, 2021 issue took a deeper look at the legacy of the star who was the real target behind the allegations made against his son. With Pakistani artist Rashid Rana’s beautiful portrait of SRK—made from thousands of photos—on its cover, the issue had actors and poets, academics and columnists, writing on what makes SRK’s star power so significant in the current times. Editor Chinki Sinha wrote on what it meant to grow up with his now iconic film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) at a time when the politics of mandal-kamandal permeated the air. Writer-documentary filmmaker Paromita Vohra wrote on the star’s brand of Indianness that is difficult to box in exclusive categories. Poet and comic Varun Grover reflected on what it means to stand in solidarity with a superstar in today’s India. Jeevan Prakash Sharma reported on the loopholes in the Aryan Khan case. While academic Rachel Dwyer explained SRK’s globetrotting stardom, co-actor Sayani Gupta offered him a personalised tribute.
Bollywood has always been India’s most scrutinised industry, held to formidable standards just because of its constant visibility in the public eye. Aryan’s arrest revealed how swiftly media trials yield judgment before the legal one can intervene. The episode also echoed Bollywood’s uneasy history with drug investigations. Before Aryan, some of the industry’s most recognised names were summoned for questioning. Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor, and Rakul Preet Singh saw their confidential messages turned into a primetime drama. Rhea Chakraborty endured weeks in custody, accused of procuring marijuana after Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. Aryan’s case was not an exception, but another reminder that Bollywood’s insiders are presumed guilty, until proven otherwise.
India’s most beloved actor’s son was swiftly turned into a fallen prince. The media mined him for a profitable story, while society consumed his downfall as spectacle. Aryan, however, has chosen to reclaim the narrative. His directorial debut, The Ba***ds of Bollywood, uses irony as its edge. From its preview, the series comes across as sharp, self-aware, and peppered with sly nods to the industry’s excesses and Khan’s own time behind bars. In a culture consumed by image, Khan’s willingness to laugh at himself stands out. It blunts judgment and asserts control. The interplay of reel and reality deepens beside Shah Rukh’s Jawan (2023), where a line about protecting his son suddenly carries off-screen weight. During the trailer launch of his upcoming Netflix series, Khan spoke with a certain sincerity, notes in hand and his father’s anchoring presence behind him.
The trailer began with Shah Rukh’s voice, evoking nostalgia before abruptly cutting into a brisk dramedy that introduced Lakshya Lalwani as Aasmaan Singh, an outsider navigating the frenzy of Bollywood’s glitter and chaos. Brief glimpses of Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, Bobby Deol and even Karan Johar amplified the intrigue, setting the stage for a project unafraid to play with its own mythology. What distinguishes Khan’s entry is his refusal of the expected path. Acting, assumed by inheritance, was not his choice. Unlike his sister Suhana—who debuted as an actor in The Archies (2023)—Aryan chose authorship. Writing and directing mark a deliberate shift—from being trapped in a spectacle to shaping it.
Privilege shadows him, but so does the awareness that storytelling demands craft. His choice to pursue filmmaking and return to the limelight signals a move to create work that stands apart from his father’s acting legacy. Khan’s arc, from humiliation to storytelling, is more than redemption. It mirrors Bollywood’s own contradictions, where scandal fuels story and story fuels survival. His series suggests that vulnerability can be recast as material, scandal reshaped into narrative, and shame reworked into authorship. If The Ba***ds of Bollywood fulfils its ambition, it will not only rewrite Aryan’s place in public memory but also announce a filmmaker who turned away from the easy road to take the uncertain one.
