Did you see it coming?’ Everyone’s asking this question after watching The Ba***ds of Bollywood. If the Netflix series made news before its release for marking the directorial debut of Aryan Khan, it’s making waves now for the plot twist in the end. Sahher Bambba, who plays the female lead in the show, reveals that the cast and she were just as surprised by the climax, which revolves around male lead Lakshya and her characters.
“None of us knew the climax. Half an hour before the climax shoot, Aryan called us all into his van and told us. Our jaws were on the floor! Looking back, it was smart of him to keep it hidden, because the surprise made our reactions much more authentic,” says the actor, who plays a star kid in the series.
A still from the series
Landing the project, which also stars Bobby Deol and Raghav Juyal, was surreal for her. Bambba remembers giving multiple auditions for it since August 2022. Her final audition took place at the Red Chillies’ office under Khan’s direction. “That was the most exhausting round. We had to do so many variations. Then in March 2023, Aryan called me and said, ‘Congratulations, welcome on board’,’” she recalls.
With The Ba***ds of Bollywood, the first-time director has offered a satirical take on the Hindi film industry. Ask Bambba the experience of working with Khan and she describes him as “a detail-oriented” director. “Sometimes he’d even enact scenes for us. What struck me was how much clarity and conviction he had — it never felt like he was a first-time filmmaker. He paid attention to even the smallest things, asking why my hair didn’t have enough volume on a particular day.”
Bambba also notes that the director was a source of motivation on set. “Even when we were on our 10th take, he would say, ‘This was amazing, but let’s try something else.’ His vocabulary was motivating.”