By Ayesha Khan 
Mumbai, August 17: The last twenty–four hours have pushed Aryan Khan from the margins of speculation into the heart of two industries at once. On one hand, his directorial debut series The Ba**ds of Bollywood* has formally taken its first bow with Netflix. On the other, a high–stakes business collaboration in the premium alcohol space has been sealed, positioning the 27–year–old not just as Shah Rukh Khan’s son but as a figure attempting his own imprint across entertainment and enterprise.
Aryan Khan’s First Look Unveiled On Netflix
On Sunday, Netflix India and Red Chillies Entertainment dropped the first official look of The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, a satirical, irreverent series that Aryan Khan has co–written and directed. The teaser leans into both nostalgia and provocation, sampling Bollywood’s own language to mock and celebrate it at once. One moment echoes Mohabbatein’s iconic “Ek ladki thi deewani si ” before undercutting it with Aryan’s rewritten hook: “Picture toh saalon se baki hai show ab shuru hoga.”
The short clip, lasting under a minute, carries what industry watchers describe as a “wry swagger” rather than a conventional pitch. “It’s not just parody. It looks like a son of the industry talking back to the industry,” a Mumbai–based film critic told Hindustan Herald, noting that Aryan seems comfortable navigating tone between reverence and rebellion.
The preview release is slated for August 20, as confirmed by The Economic Times.
Cameos Galore, And A Father’s Approval
What has set tongues wagging even more is the cast reveal. The lineup features an unusual mix: Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Karan Johar, Bobby Deol, Mona Singh, and several others. The participation of these heavyweights signals the fraternity’s willingness to endorse the younger Khan’s vision, or at the very least, its curiosity to be part of a cultural event.
At the centre of it all is, inevitably, Shah Rukh Khan. The superstar himself confirmed his cameo with a typically self–aware flourish, saying, “Main toh hun hi Haq se.” More striking, though, were his comments on Aryan’s work. In an interaction flagged by NDTV, SRK called the project “entertaining, wacky, and emotional,” adding that it was “very good” but quickly urging audiences to make their own judgment.
The paternal pride was evident, but so was a conscious restraint. As he has often said in interviews, he does not want his children’s careers to be carried on his back.
Fan Reactions: Aryan’s Voice, Aryan’s Face
If the cameos grabbed industry headlines, fan chatter online gravitated toward something more intimate: Aryan’s voice. Viewers remarked how uncannily it resembled his father’s so much so that several admitted mistaking the narration for SRK’s own until corrected.
“He should just act. Why waste that presence?” one viral post read. Another suggested Aryan “may end up the better actor among SRK’s kids.” According to Hindustan Times, social media commentary has already begun weighing Aryan against his sister Suhana, who made her acting debut last year.
For what it’s worth, Aryan has consistently maintained that he does not wish to act. Yet the first look has reignited the debate.
Parallel Venture: Premium Tequila With Radico Khaitan
Even as his creative work drew eyeballs, Aryan’s name surfaced in a very different register last week. On August 12, Reuters confirmed that Radico Khaitan, makers of Magic Moments vodka, have entered into a joint venture with Shah Rukh Khan, Aryan Khan, and Zerodha co–founder Nikhil Kamath.
The new firm’s flagship product is D’YAVOL Añejo, a premium tequila aged two years in wine casks, priced between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000. Stakes are evenly split between Radico and the Khan family at 47.5 percent each, with Kamath holding the remaining 5 percent. The launch is targeted for December 2025, backed by an investment of ₹4.56 million.
For India’s growing alcobev sector, this is a high–end experiment. Industry analysts say the premium tequila space is nascent but ripe, given the changing demographics of urban drinkers. That Aryan’s name is directly attached suggests a conscious branding choice positioning him as not just the heir to a film dynasty but also a face of aspirational lifestyle consumption.
A Calculated Double Play
Aryan Khan’s simultaneous ventures into OTT storytelling and luxury liquor may look coincidental, but insiders argue it is strategic. By pairing a bold, subversive series with an expensive new spirit, he is crafting an image separate from, but never detached from, his father’s colossal shadow.
Interestingly enough, both moves carry a generational undertone. The series mocks the mythology of Bollywood, a mythology that SRK himself helped shape. The tequila, meanwhile, targets a set of consumers far younger than the whisky–loyal segment that dominates India’s spirits market.
What Lies Ahead
For now, Aryan Khan has managed to trigger curiosity rather than skepticism. The Ba**ds of Bollywood* preview on August 20 will be the real test of whether audiences beyond Twitter commentary will buy into his directorial voice. Meanwhile, D’YAVOL Añejo’s December launch will face the harsher judgment of India’s evolving, yet still price–sensitive, alcohol market.
It is early to call either venture a success. But the two together suggest a deliberate recalibration of the Khan legacy. Not merely stardom handed down, but an attempt to author, direct, and invest differently.
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- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/authors/ayesha/
Sandeep Verma and Ayesha Khan