The Ba***ds of Bollywood preview: Fans react to Aryan Khan’s sly reference to jail time

The internet has been abuzz with reactions to the preview of The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which was released amid fanfare on Wednesday in Mumbai. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan introduced his son Aryan Khan as the director of the series to the world. At the star-studded event, Aryan spoke to the press for the first time as he admitted he was nervous about launching his new show. The young filmmaker also introduced the star cast of the show before launching the preview of The Ba***ds of Bollywood. The show, full of celeb cameos, action sequences and romance, seemed like a true-blue Bollywood masala entertainer. While the teaser was loved by one and all, Aryan’s sly reference to jail time drew a lot of reactions on the internet.

Jail reference in The Ba***ds of Bollywood features Lakshya Kapoor in the lead role, with Sahher Bambba playing his romantic interest. The show also has Raghav Juyal, Mona Singh and Bobby Deol in key roles. At one point, as Laskhya’s character is put behind bars, a police officer says, “Tension nahi lene ka. Andar jaake log aur bhi famous ho jaate hain. (Don’t take tension, people become stars once they are put behind bars). Soon after, the frame shifts and the words ‘Written and directed by Aryan Khan’ appear onscreen.

Netizens react

Netizens were quick to notice how Aryan had slyly referred to his jail time. Many also pointed out that the line was true for not just Aryan but several other celebrities as well.

But one thing that all have agreed upon, is that Aryan has created gold and lauded his sly sense of humour. One user wrote on Instagram, “That was lowkey good one.. Haha Aryan doing self-depreciating joke.. Just like how SRK does with himself ..,” whereas another netizen wrote, “was not expecting such humoured self-awareness.”

Another comment read, “Might be half the Bollywood too, but kudos to Aryan for keeping this dialogue and not taking it personally.”

For those coming in late, Aryan Khan was arrested in 2021 by the NCB and charged with possession, consumption, sale/purchase of banned drugs. Their arrest came a day after the NCB raided the cruise ship and claimed to have seized banned drugs. The arrest and the case were closely followed by the media. Aryan was released on bail after nearly a month’s stay in jail.

His name was later cleared from the case as the court did not find proper evidence against him.

The case, however, brought focus on SRK’s son, who till then had maintained a low public profile.

About Ba***ds Of Bollywood

Directed by Aryan Khan and produced by Gauri Khan, the show was officially announced on February 3, 2025. The show is co-created by Bilal Siddiqi and Manav Chauhan, who also share writing credits with Aryan. The series will release on Netflix on September 18.