From Aryan Khan’s The Bads of Bollywood to Karan Johar’s Showtime, filmmakers are no longer afraid to turn the spotlight inward

xWith Aryan Khan’s dark comic series The Bads of Bollywood becoming a hit, Hindi cinema seems to have entered a new phase of self-reflection — and self-mockery. The series’ tongue-in-cheek portrayal of movie icons and industry archetypes signals a growing fascination with stories about the people behind the camera.

Bobby Deol plays a modern-day version of a yesteryear superstar, modelled unmistakably on Rajesh Khanna. Meanwhile, newcomer Lakshya channels a wide-eyed striver with Shah Rukh Khan-like ambition.

The plotline involving Deol’s affair with a chorus dancer (played by Mona Singh) and their secret child is, by most accounts, inspired by a real Bollywood

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