Top 8 moments in ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ that take cheeky digs at Bollywood scandals

Highlights:

• The Ba**ds of Bollywood opens with a chaotic drug raid parody that fans are talking about.
• Outsider Aasmaan and star kid Karishma clash in a witty take on Bollywood nepotism.
• Karan Johar delivers a self-aware joke about the “movie mafia,” turning gossip into humour.
• Emraan Hashmi appears as an intimacy coach, with a fanboy moment that has viewers laughing.
• Hidden details, like Bobby Deol getting texts from “Sunny,” add clever nods for eagle-eyed fans.

You know that feeling when you are watching something and have to literally stop and rewind because… wait, did they just do that? Yes, they did. The Ba**ds of Bollywood is chaotic, hilarious, and also sneaky clever in a way only someone who grew up around the industry could pull off. Aryan Khan’s directorial debut dropped on Netflix, and the chatter is not really about the plot. Let us be honest. The plot is… a vehicle. A very, very shiny, star-studded vehicle for what people are really watching: the inside jokes.

And yes, people are talking about it, dissecting every frame. Some things are obvious. Others? You would miss them if you blinked.

Aryan Khan makes his directorial debut with Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood Youtube Screengrab/Netflix India

Here is a list of the most eyebrow-raising, jaw-dropping, and straight-up fun moments that had fans going wild.

1. That drug raid scene is not just a nod, it is a full-blown parody

You saw the trailer. The “go to jail, get more famous” line. But the first episode goes so much harder. An NCG officer, looking suspiciously like a certain real-life NCB officer Sameer Wankhede, crashes a Bollywood party. He spots a DJ blatantly smoking weed and just… lets him go. “Not from the industry,” he shrugs.

Instead, he nabs a young actor who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And it ends with the producer shouting, “Say no to drugs” before it cuts to “Directed by Aryan Khan.” The audacity. You have to respect it.

2. The nepotism debate gets turned on its head

Remember Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi’s viral exchange about insider vs outsider life in Bollywood? Aryan took it, gave it a twist, and served it cold. The show’s outsider hero, Aasmaan, immediately clashes with the star kid, Karishma. There is a scene where he calls out her privilege, her idea of ‘struggle.' It is that iconic roundtable moment all over again but fictionalised.

3. Karan Johar calls himself out

There is a bit where KJo basically tells a character, “Do not mess with the movie mafia.” It lands hard because we all know the rumours and controversies. It is a phrase Kangana Ranaut threw at him years ago. By having him own it, the show does something properly clever. It takes the power out of the accusation and turns it into a joke.

4. Emraan Hashmi’s fanboy moment

Emraan Hashmi shows up as an “intimacy coach,” which is as strange as it sounds. But the best part is when a character named Parvaiz completely loses it fanboying over him. It is awkward, cringey, and honestly hilarious. It is the kind of cameo that feels earned, like a fun yet respectful nod to Hashmi’s legacy as the original “serial kisser” of Bollywood.

5. Background text messages that matter

If you pause at the right moment, you will spot the details. Bobby Deol’s character gets texts from “Sunny,” who is actually his real-life brother, Sunny Deol. It is a small touch, but it shows the writers cared. These hidden details do not affect the story, but if you know the history, it is a little laugh, a little wink.

6. The roasted 'FilmFirst' awards

The show includes a full-blown parody of award shows called the “FilmFirst Awards.” It is packed with over-the-top glamour, fake smiles, and staged interactions. Watching actors fumble through speeches and photographers shout over each other is strangely satisfying. It is funny because it is true; anyone who has watched these events will recognise the fun, slightly sarcastic take.

7. Underworld nods

Arshad Warsi pops up as a cartoonish gangster named Don Gafoor Ismail, a plotline that feels exaggerated but clearly reminds viewers that Bollywood’s shadowy past is not completely forgotten.

8. Not shying away from scandal

The show also touches on serious topics like the #MeToo movement. A producer character is clueless about why his behaviour is wrong. It points at the controversies and laughs, forcing the industry to look in the mirror. Whether that is brave or just provocative is up to you. But it has certainly got people talking.

So, what was the point?

Here is the thing: this is not about nepotism or arrest headlines. It is about someone taking the weird, messy, absurd world they grew up in and turning it into art that makes you laugh, cringe, and gasp. Fans are pausing, rewinding, tweeting screenshots, and making lists. In fact, the show is made for it. Some jokes are fiction, some feel pointed, some are just pure chaos.

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This show is not trying to be a great story. It is something else entirely. It is the industry finally talking about itself in the same way we do with friends over coffee. And maybe that is exactly why it works.