RADAR

WHO & WHAT YOU SHOULD BE CHECKING OUT THIS MONTH -

- Ananya Ghosh

ARYAN KHAN

"Bollywood ek sapno ka shehar hai, ye sapno ka shehar sabka nahi hota.

Aur iss sapno ki duniya mein kuch log hero ke ghar paida hote hai, kuch hero paida hote hai". Shah Rukh's voiceover announces in the opening scene. Then Aryan goes on to prove at times, kabhi kabhi hero ke ghar hero bhi paida hotey hai. While the Baadshah of Bollywood still reigns supreme, the Crown Prince has also risen! Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khan's first born, is on a path of global domination. His directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood dropped on September 17, 2025, and soon climbed into the global charts. Nothing puts Aryan's Bollywood debut into perspective better than this line from his show: "Purey Bollywood ko cheer ke rakh dena hai tune".

Unlike King Khan, who, armed with his dimpled smile and in-built charisma, easily charms even his harshest critics, Aryan's public image is that of a smile-atheist; he is more of the quiet observer. He hardly has a social media presence, and this carefully cultivated air of mystery around him adds to his unique charm.

However, Aryan has inherited SRK's trademark wit, and it shines through the seven-episode audacious show that tiptoes between fiction and reality with its incisive meta-narrative on the Hindi film industry. Replete with Easter eggs-including some self-referential ones-and celebrity cameos, and laced with tongue-in-cheek humour, it reflects the star-kid's self-aware and nuanced take on the fleeting nature of fame as well as his own privilege among other things.