Aryan Khan is set to make his directorial debut with The Ba***ds of Bollywood, a Netflix show that pokes fun at the Hindi film industry and more. Ahead of its release, the show’s stars – Lakshya, Sahher Bambba, Raghav Juyal, and Anya Singh – spoke to Hindustan Times about the fun they had on the sets, Aryan’s directorial style, and more.

‘The show was all in Aryan’s head’

The actors say that while there was a bound script for the show, they initially did not get scripts as Aryan, the showrunner, had it all in his head. Lakshya, who plays the show’s protagonist, tells us, “I had a feeling that we were doing something good and different early on. Of course, there were a lot of surprises. Every day, we were learning something new because in the initial days, we wouldn’t get scripts. Whatever was there was in Aryan’s head, and he had a way of doing things. But it was so much fun.”

Sahher Bambba, the show’s co-lead, adds, “Every day was a new element of surprise. It will be exciting for the viewers to discover what Aryan has made. He had every detail of every scene so clearly etched out in his brain that it helped us as actors to perform and bring his vision to life. But at the same time, he gave us room to improvise and do it our way.”

The actors say that the whole experience on the set was very collaborative, with room for improvement. Anya Singh, who plays a talent manager on the show, adds, “There was a lot on the paper, but when we went on set, the entire scene changed because of people’s chemistry.”

‘Aryan is a brave risk-taker’

Raghav Juyal, who plays Lakshya’s character’s best friend Parvaiz, says he was struck by Aryan’s conviction. “The greatest directors of the world take years to find their voice, and still, they are figuring it out. The best thing about Aryan is that he knows what he wants, and he will do it even if the world stands against him. That voice is so strong, which is so brave as a director. He is such a brave risk-taker for a first-time director that I was shocked,” the actor shares.

The Ba***ds of Bollywood also stars Bobby Deol, Manoj Pahwa, Mona Singh, Rajat Bedi, Gautami Kapoor, and Manish Chaudhari in pivotal roles, apart from cameos by Bollywood biggies such as Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Kareena Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh, among others. The show is now streaming on Netflix.