Ever since the release of 'The Ba***ds of Bollywood' on Netflix, director and creator Aryan Khan had remained silence. No interviews, no reactions—his work was his sole commentary. For an extended period, his creations spoke from behind the curtain. However, in a recent statement, he revealed a profound truth: during the darkest hours of his life, his only refuge was the voice of a fictional character. He would remind himself of the dialogues of Jaraj Saxena's character.
In this series, Rajat Bedi portrays the role of Jaraj Saxena. Despite being behind the scenes for two decades, Jaraj never surrendered. His dialogue, "There's a difference between losing and giving up," became an internalized echo in Aryan's life.
Aryan said, "When times became unbearable, I would hear Jaraj's voice. Initially, I thought it was inspiration. Later, I realized it was the result of sleepless nights and exhaustion. Nevertheless, that scene, those dialogues gave me the courage to move forward. Today, when I see my work has touched people, it's profoundly emotional for me. Isn't this the real reason for storytelling?"
In 2021, Aryan was arrested on drug-related charges at a rave party. After spending 25 days in custody, he returned, but never publicly spoke about his experience. However, in his recent show, he took a subtle jab at the investigating officer of that time, Sameer Wankhede, through a sketch.
His father Shah Rukh Khan and mother Gauri Khan had, however, spoken multiple times about the agony of that period. On 'Koffee with Karan', Gauri said, "Nothing can be more terrifying in a parent's life." And Shah Rukh Khan had said, "I've learned to weather life's storms—stay silent, absolutely silent, and work hard with dignity."
Regarding the show's global acclaim, Aryan said, "What began as my personal story has now become the viewers'. Reels, memes, fan theories—the timeline is flooded. This was possible only because of Netflix, which brought this story to homes everywhere. As Jaraj would say... Ab pehchana?"
This debut project was produced by Shah Rukh Khan himself. The show features cameos from Bollywood's biggest stars—Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, and many others. Shah Rukh himself appears in a few scenes, as if leaving his presence in his son's narrative.
