Mumbai : Filmmaker Aryan Khan’s explosive debut web series, “The B*ds of Bollywood,” has surged to the top of IMDb’s Most Popular Indian OTT Shows of 2025, drawing an unprecedented 150 million global viewers and reshaping the streaming landscape. Produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, the gritty 10-episode Netflix thriller beats out franchise heavyweights Sacred Games 3 and Mirzapur 4 to claim the crown.
Blending dark humor with industry satire, the series confronts themes of nepotism, drug culture, exploitation, and power politics inside Mumbai’s film world. Ranbir Kapoor delivers a standout performance as a fallen superstar, while Aryan Khan makes a meta cameo as a director navigating the chaos—an artistic nod to the high-profile media scrutiny he endured during the 2021 cruise-ship controversy.
Khan, 28, described the project as “a family affair exposing illusions,” dedicating the show to Shah Rukh Khan’s resilience and long career in Indian cinema. Alia Bhatt co-stars as a manipulative producer orchestrating high-stakes industry cover-ups, earning praise for her bold and layered portrayal.
Despite its success, the series has stirred backlash. Filmmaker Karan Johar criticized it as “vindictive fiction,” fueling online debates and triggering #BoycottBollywood trends. Yet the buzz only amplified its reach, boosting Netflix India subscriptions by 20%.
With a stellar 4.8/5 IMDb rating, critics applaud the show’s cinematography, female-centric story arcs, Gen Z relatability, and unflinching commentary on the entertainment machine. As Bollywood’s box office rebounds toward $2.5 billion, the series is already influencing 2026 script development across studios.
Industry insiders say “The B*****ds of Bollywood” is now a strong awards-season contender, with early chatter pointing toward potential Golden Globe and international OTT nominations.
