Aryan Khan’s The Ba**ds of Bollywood revisits the famous Siddhant Chaturvedi–Ananya Panday nepotism exchange: ‘Step out of your parents shadow’

In The Ba***ds of Bollywood, Aryan Khan seems to have taken a dig at several things, including the viral exchange between Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday on nepotism.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | Updated: September 19, 2025 08:08 AM IST

3 min read

The Ba**ds of Bollywood is now out on Netflix.

Aryan Khan had made his directorial debut. (Photo: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday / CNN News18 YouTube; Aryan Khan / Netflix YouTube)

Aryan Khan’s series The Ba**ds of Bollywood is now streaming on Netflix. As anticipated from the show’s trailer, the series makes several pointed references to recent pop culture events, including Aryan Khan’s own 2021 arrest and the widely discussed nepotism debate sparked by Siddhant Chaturvedi and Ananya Panday’s viral exchange.

In the first episode, the show recreates a fictional film journalist roundtable featuring two characters, Aasmaan (Lakshya Lalwani), an outsider, and Karishma (Sahher Bambba), the daughter of a superstar played by Bobby Deol. During the panel, Karishma says: “There’s a pressure on me being a superstar’s daughter, and I have to be careful with how I tread my path. The spotlight is on me always… I have to work very hard.” In response, Aasmaan says that even if she doesn’t work hard, she will still live a privileged life, drive her Mercedes and live in her big house, while outsiders like him have no place in the industry if they don’t constantly prove themselves. When Karishma defends her position by saying, “Living in someone’s shadow is a struggle in itself,” Aasmaan replies, “Step out of your dad’s shadow then you will realise how hot it is outside.”

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The exchange closely mirrors the 2019 roundtable discussion where Ananya Panday said: “Everyone thinks it’s all glamorous, like I’ve gotten everything I ever wanted just because my dad’s an actor. But I’m not going to say no to an opportunity to act. My dad’s never been in a Dharma film, never been on Koffee With Karan, so it’s not as easy as people make it out to be. I think everyone has their own journey.” Siddhant Chaturvedi had responded: “The difference is only that where our dreams end, their struggle begins.”

The Ba**ds Of Bollywood marks Aryan Khan’s directorial debut and is produced under Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. The show stars Lakshya Lalwani, Sahher Bambba, Bobby Deol, and Raghav Juyal in lead roles.

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