‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ review: Scattershot satire has its share of amusing moments

Aryan Khan has taken his first official steps in showbiz – but behind the camera rather than in front of it. Shah Rukh Khan’s son makes his debut as the creator, director and co-writer of The Ba***ds of Bollywood, a show that keeps you guessing about the meaning behind the asterisks in the title.

In the Netflix series, actor Aasmaan (Lakshya), fresh from a box-office hit, finds himself in high demand. Producer Freddy (Manish Chaudhuri) wants him. Karan Johar (playing himself) wants him. So does aspiring actor Karishma (Sahher Bambba) – as a boyfriend. Only the movie star Ajay (Bobby Deol), who happens to be Karishma’s father, is wary of Aasmaan.

Aasmaan’s posse include his best friend Parvaiz (Raghav Juyal) and his hard-working manager Sanya (Anya Singh). Hot-tempered and forever in danger of becoming a tabloid item, Aasmaan is grounded by his mother Neeta (Mona Singh) and father Rajat (Vijayant Kohli).

A sub-plot revolves around Aasmaan’s uncle Avtar (Manoj Pahwa), who has showbiz dreams of his own. Rajat Bedi plays the flop actor Jaraj, who badly wants to be back in the game.

Apart from the criss-crossing plot strands, there are de rigueur cameos, ranging from Shah Rukh Khan to Salman Khan. Aamir Khan and SS Rajamouli turn up in a spoofy...

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