The stakes were high for Aryan Khan's directorial debut, ‘Bads of Bollywood’. Would he take the artsy route? Would he shadow his superstar father’s charisma? Turns out, Aryan chose to do what few in the industry dare: poke fun at Bollywood’s power games, hypocrisies, and even his own family’s history. The show is peppered with cheeky nods, savage digs, and emotional callbacks. Here are eight Easter eggs you probably spotted and some you may have missed.
Aryan doesn’t just hint at his 2021 arrest, he lampoons it. A loud, over-the-top officer barges into a Bollywood party shouting, “Drugs ne iss desh ko barbaad kar diya hai!” He calls himself part of the “NCG,” a thinly disguised stand-in for the NCB. The actor even looks strikingly similar to Sameer Wankhede and is dressed like him. It’s Aryan rewriting one of the darkest chapters of his life into biting satire. The dig is brutal: this “Drugs Ka Dushman” ignores a non-Bollywood “druggie” and instead hauls away a star just for standing nearby.
No Way They Cast a Sameer Wankhede Lookalike in #TheBadsOfBollywood and Gave #AryanKhan Case Reference 😭pic.twitter.com/CZmxipbwok
— JAWAN KI SENA (@JawanKiSena) September 18, 2025
If Kangana Ranaut calling Karan Johar “the flagbearer of nepotism” is Bollywood folklore, Aryan flips the script by letting KJo himself embrace the label. In a tongue-in-cheek scene, Johar warns the protagonist to “not mess with the movie mafia,” leaning into the insult that has haunted him since that viral Koffee With Karan moment.
Aryan slips in a sly nod to his father’s 1999 film 'Baadshah'. The masala entertainer flopped, but ironically gave SRK the “Badshah of Bollywood” title. The show cleverly references this twist of fate: how a box-office dud helped cement an iconic nickname.
A mock roundtable hosted by a critic named “Sanjeev” (sound familiar, Rajeev Masand fans?) features young actors whining about their “struggles.” The biggest star kid at the table laments living under her father’s shadow, only to be brutally dismissed by the protagonist, Aasmaan. The moment echoes the viral Ananya Panday–Siddhant Chaturvedi exchange: “Jaha inke struggles shuru hote hai, waha humare khatam ho jaate hai.”
Ab jo bolega… yeh show bolega 🔥
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) September 18, 2025
Watch The Ba***ds of Bollywood, out now, only on Netflix. #TheBadsOfBollywoodOnNetflix@RedChilliesEnt @NetflixIndia @gaurikhan #AryanKhan #BhushanKumar @TSeries @bilals158 #ManavChauhan @bonniejain @thedeol #Lakshya @TheRaghav_Juyal… pic.twitter.com/6c1ckyG6vb
Aryan weaves in subtle parallels to Shah Rukh Khan’s early life. His hero, also an outsider from Delhi, casually recalls stories of paan shops, ordering meetha and saada paan with his love, charming shopkeepers, and racking up “udhaar.” It’s a sweet nod to SRK’s humble beginnings, long before Fauji and superstardom.
Aryan revisits Bollywood’s darker chapters too. The chaos in Aasmaan’s life begins when producer Freddy Sodawala corners him into a three-film contract. This mirrors Mahima Chaudhry’s shocking claims that Subhash Ghai spread rumours about an exclusive contract, bullying her and sidelining her after Pardes. She alleged she was dropped from films like Satya after Ghai allegedly warned filmmakers through trade ads.
In one emotional scene, Aasmaan Singh (Lakshya’s character) dedicates his filmfirst, a stand-in for Filmfare, to his late father, saying, “This one’s for you.” SRK fans will instantly recall his own Filmfare speech after his parents’ passing, when he echoed those exact words. It’s Aryan blurring fiction and legacy.
The scene in The Ba***ds Of Bollywood that made us cry.Aryan Khan knows how much Shah Rukh Khan Sir loves His parents. It's like seeing Aryan Khan in Lakshya- Shah Rukh Khan Sir's face shines with happiness and emotion- proud of His son and grateful for His parent's love.… pic.twitter.com/WD9x6OU8Mj
— SRK girl (@iamSRKgirl) September 19, 2025
Aryan sprinkles the show with visual and narrative callbacks to SRK’s greatest hits. The cremation scene, where three family members light the pyre, nods to Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The award-show parody recalls Om Shanti Om, complete with actors standing up expectantly to win.
This parallel 😭 pic.twitter.com/afqPeqYQgn
— Sameer (@sameerahmadx) September 19, 2025
What makes ‘Bads of Bollywood’ fascinating is not just Aryan Khan’s audacity but also the precision of his satire. Each Easter egg is layered, half roast, half reverence. It’s Aryan telling the industry: “I see your games, I’ve lived your stories, and now I’ll tell them my way.”
Don't Miss: The Bads of Bollywood Twitter Review: Aryan Khan Praised for Bold Debut With Industry Digs and Fresh Faces
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