The Ba***ds of Bollywood, Aryan Khan’s debut series as director, drops on Netflix on September 18. A part cheeky, part sensitive insider peek into the world of Bollywood, the much-awaited seven-episode series is frontlined by Kill actor Lakshya, who plays Aasmaan Singh, an outsider looking to break into the world of the movies, with Sahher Bambba as a star kid, whose father, a superstar, is played by Bobby Deol. While Anya Singh essays the role of Aasmaan’s manager, Raghav Juyal plays his friend.

Boasting a strong ensemble cast, The Ba***ds of Bollywood has a large number of high-profile cameos, including that of Aryan’s father Shah Rukh Khan, as well as Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ranveer Singh, and many, many more.

Over a recent interaction, t2 caught up with Lakshya, Raghav, Anya and Sahher to know more about their big-ticket outing.
P.S.: They all vouch for the fact that Aryan would make a brilliant actor!

What is that one experience that you have had working on The Ba***ds of Bollywood that you haven’t had as an actor on any set before?

Sahher Bambba: The whole experience has been pretty refreshing. It is a different take... I don’t think anybody has ever seen the kind of show that Aryan (Khan) has made.
Lakshya: Aryan is the kind of director who likes taking multiple takes. You must have seen even in the teaser of the series, where he is telling Shah Rukh sir: “Let’s do one more, one more”. But that is his thing... that is his way of directing. Before this show, I would always feel that the first three takes is where the spontaneity is, where the rhythm is, where one’s best acting comes out. But after working with him, I have realised that there is so much more that you can achieve even after you are fully exhausted.

I remember I was talking to Mr Shah Rukh Khan and I said: “Sir, don’t you feel bored or monotonous after giving so many takes?” He replied: “Tu subah uttha hain, tu brush karta hain, tu kapde pehenta hain... does it ever feel monotonous? Or does it get easier every time?” And that is when I realised that in the case of acting, the more you do it, the easier it gets. That is definitely something I learned on this set. That the more you do it, the more you find it. Maybe when your entire calculation as an actor is over, then there is some scope for magic to be created.
Anya Singh: This whole show has been an enriching opportunity for all of us. We got to work with such experienced people as well as someone like Aryan who may be young and new, but he comes with a lot of passion, a lot of ease on set and allows you to hold your space as an actor. It was not a stressful shoot at all and we enjoyed ourselves a lot. It was also very nourishing because all of us were so supportive of each other.
Raghav Juyal: I loved the way we were allowed to take risks on set. Even if we were making a fool of ourselves, it was okay! Every time we took risks, something new would come out of it. Aryan is a very collaborative director. He takes the point of view of the actors very well.

Lakshya and Raghav, you played adversaries in Kill, literally baying for each others’ blood. What has it been like to not only flip that dynamic in The Ba***ds of Bollywood, but also have the sort of bromance that we get to see a bit of in the first look?

Lakshya: It was a fun ride! In Kill, of course, he was the bad guy and I was the hero and on screen, we could never have the kind of fun that we have had together on the sets of The Ba***ds of Bollywood. But off screen, we definitely did! So we were basically replicating all of that, and, in fact, exaggerating it even further on this show.

Raghav is an amazing actor... I have learnt so much from him. The way he does comedy, his timing... it is so good! Comedy is one of the hardest things to do for an actor. You can do drama, romance, you can do everything, but comedy is a different ball game altogether. But doing comedy with ease is something I have learnt from Raghav. Also, not taking oneself too seriously is the philosophy he lives by and that is inspiring.
Raghav: My work on set becomes very easy when Lakshya is there with me in a scene. We are very honest with each other and the friendship and camaraderie that we shared off screen in Kill helped us in The Ba***ds of Bollywood. Like Lakshya said, it shows on camera, and that is amazing.

The show, of course, is an insider look at Bollywood. Apart from the fact that you belong to the industry and may have had similar experiences like your characters do, what were the points of relatability?

Lakshya: There is a line that Aasman says: “Sitaare toh bahut hain, lekin aasmaan sirf ek”. That is something that I live by, abide by. Since my school days, I have noticed that all the boys from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Dehradun and up north would say: “I am the best, main badhiya hoon, tum dekh lo apna” (laughs). While that may invite laughs and derision, it is a big confidence booster. The belief that I am the best and see it for yourself. That is something that we have learnt from Mr Khan (SRK)... you will find it in a lot of his interviews.

So when I got the audition scene for The Ba***ds of Bollywood, I felt that Aasmaan is like me... that this is my life, that I have lived this life. And I hope that when the show comes out, people also get that vibe that I talk like this, I also behave like this.
Sahher: I didn’t feel close to my character (Karishma Talwar) because her background is very different from mine. She is a star kid while I didn’t have the perks of being close to privilege. I don’t have certain doors open for me at all times.

But I did identify with the emotions that my character goes through. She wants to really make it in the industry as an actor and she is very sincere when it comes to her work.
Anya: I am the kind of person who can’t hide my feelings... you will see it all on my face. I am also very emotional. Sanya (her character) is more stoic and composed...
Lakshya: One thing they share is that they are both very forgetful! (Everyone laughs)
Anya: Yes, we both are! As actors, we spend a lot of time with our managers and that experience came in handy while playing Sanya. For me, to kind of find a base to move from when I first met Sanya was very easy because of observation through the years.
Raghav: There is a scene between Parvaiz (his character) and Aasmaan in in which my character says: “Dono bhai milkar sex karenge!” Let me clear at the outset that main bilkul waisa nahi hoon! (Laughs) Honestly, I play my characters like they belong to me but I also keep them far away from me. But the kind of loyalty that Parvaiz shows in his friendship with Aasmaan definitely resonated with me.

What kind of a director is Aryan? Did he act out any of the scenes for you all to emulate like a lot of filmmakers do?

Raghav: He would do it in between shots. He does it so well, and especially in terms of acting like a girl! (Everyone laughs)
Sahher: Yes, he plays a girl really well!
Raghav: Sometimes he used to do it with Lakshya and me! I would tell him that he has to act some day. But he would flat-out refuse. He is always like: ‘No, I don’t want to act!’ He rejects that thought instantly. But I feel that he is a brilliant actor and he should try it out.
Sahher: It is there in his DNA. I think he is fabulous as an actor!

And as we have seen in The Ba***ds of Bollywood, he also has a subtle sensor of humour, right?

Lakshya: Subtle?! Not at all! It is outright crazy. Whatever you see in the show, all the jokes are his.
Sahher: He is really sharp and so witty. The one memory I have of both of us chilling off set is just me cracking up because he is just so funny!

What were your biggest learnings from interacting with Shah Rukh Khan, and possibly sharing screen space with him?

Raghav: There are a lot of moments. Even before The Ba***ds of Bollywood happened, Shah Rukh sir once came on stage at a show and told me he knew about my work and that he was a fan! (Smiles) He knew my mother’s name, my father’s name, my grandfather’s name... I was flabbergasted!

While we were filming this show, one day after doing a scene, he clapped for me in front of everyone, kissed me on the forehead and said: “You are a brilliant actor!” I was literally crying!
Sahher: They say that one should never meet one’s heroes. But it is the complete opposite when you meet him... because you fall in love with him even more! He is someone we have grown up watching and admiring, but he is even more amazing in person. And he makes you feel so comfortable. He is so warm and that speaks volumes about who he is as a person, much beyond his superstar persona. He makes everyone feel so special, and that holds true especially for women. Also, being humble, no matter how much you succeed or how well you do in life is important for him. He emphasises on how one has got to stay grounded.
Anya: We have been around him at parties, we have gone to his home a couple of times. There will be so many high-profile guests around, but somehow, he will always find the opportunity to come and have a conversation with you and make you feel like you are the most important person in the room.

(Asks her co-actors) Do you guys remember the night when all of us were there at his place? For an hour-and-a-half, he was just talking to us and it has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life. All four of us were standing there paying rapt attention, and he kept encouraging us and was so humble about his journey so far. He told us to work hard, kept praising our work and he somehow knew so much about all of us and the work we had done.
Raghav: Their home is very welcoming. Whenever I go there, Gauri ma’am ko sirf khaane ki tension hoti hain! (Laughs) She is always like: “Nahin, pehle khana khao”. That makes me feel amazing... so much love and respect.
Lakshya: I remember one day I had a 7pm to 7am shoot shift. It was almost 3.30 or 4 in the morning and there was a very big action sequence that needed to be shot. We came to know that Shah Rukh sir was also on set at that unearthly hour. Raghav and I stood there and saw Sir standing on a high platform and jumping from there, doing a front roll and getting up, all in one swift motion. And he did it again one more time just to show me how it needed to be done.

This is at 3.30am. There is a stunt guy on set who can do it, there is an assistant who can do it, there are 10 other people who can show it to me. But he chose to show it to me! That particular moment immediately inspired me for the next 20 years of my life and career. I realised that this man loves his work so much and his passion for his craft is unparalleled. His hair was covered in mud, his clothes were crumpled, he anyway has a couple of injuries, but he did it all so effortlessly. Raghav and I were just looking at each other’s faces! (Laughs)

Aryan also has the same thing... the passion for creativity and emphasis on hard work.

If each of you had to pick a primary reason for the audience to tune into The Ba***ds of Bollywood this Thursday, what would it be?

Raghav: It is very fresh, very young and very new and very raw and brave, to be honest.
Lakshya: This show has something for everyone. You will see a Raghav, Manoj Pahwa, Bobby Deol, Lakshya, Sahher, and Anya in this show in some character or the other. This is a show where everyone can sit and say: “Okay this is me, that character is similar to how I am”. That is something that our director and all of us have tried to achieve... ensuring that this show caters to everyone. It is also a very fresh take on filmmaking.
Sahher: The Ba***ds of Bollywood is a multi-genre show and caters to a wide audience base.

We have seen a couple of high-profile cameos in the trailer. What more can you tell us?

Lakshya: We have been told to be very guarded about this question and not let out much, so we are scared! (Laughs) Honestly, there are many, many cameos and all of them are a lot of fun. There is a scene where you see Karan Johar abusing, which is totally unexpected from him. Then there is one moment where Salman Khan says “bullshit party!” and it is so funny! Then there is Ranveer Singh saying: “Bohot hard!” All the cameos in this series are special. There are cameos after cameos after cameos. And it just keeps getting more and more fun. We all have our favourites, we all have our moments.

The Ba***ds of Bollywood premieres on Netflix on September 18 (Thursday) at 12.30pm IST