Why Bollywood loves telling stories about Bollywood

When Aryan Khan’s directorial debut The Ba***ds of Bollywood hit Netflix, it was like Bollywood finally decided to spill the tea on its own glittery chaos. The show doesn’t just entertain—it exposes the egos, backstage meltdowns, and power moves that keep India’s most glamorous industry humming. The glitter is still there, obviously, but so is the raw, murky reality behind the cameras. And honestly, that’s classic Bollywood behaviour: obsessed with telling stories about itself.

Bollywood’s meta obsession isn’t new. From the dizzying highs of overnight stardom to the crushing lows of public failure, the drama of ambition, fame, and heartbreak has always been there, ready to be filmed. And audiences? Well, we can’t get enough. There’s something thrilling about peeking behind the curtain at a world that usually seems so close and yet so untouchable.

Even decades ago, filmmakers were drawn to Bollywood as muse. Guru Dutt’s Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) is a haunting, melancholic take on a filmmaker crushed by the very industry that once celebrated him. It flopped then, but is now considered a cult classic. In the 2000s, Zoya Akhtar’s Luck by Chance dissected the casting couches, nepotism, and fragile egos that keep the industry ticking. Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om, though campy and comedic, managed to parody and celebrate the film world at the same time—think of it as Bollywood wink-winking at itself. And The Dirty Picture didn’t just shock audiences; it held up a mirror to the sexism and exploitation that lurk behind the sparkle.

Streaming platforms have taken this obsession to the next level. Shows like The Fame Game, starring Madhuri Dixit, dive into fame, family secrets, and the lonely grind of stardom with an intimacy that films rarely allow. Reality shows like Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives give viewers a guilty thrill—gossip, glitz, and girl-gang chaos all rolled into one, binge-able package. Enter The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which slots neatly into this lineage, offering insider knowledge, witty self-awareness, and the kind of whacky drama that makes you say, "Wow! I didn’t know it was like that behind the scenes."

 

Why Bollywood keeps telling stories about itself

It's because it works. Fame, betrayal, heartbreak, and triumph—the same elements that fill theatres year after year—play out naturally in the industry’s own backyard. Watching the camera turn inward feels intimate, edgy, and slightly scandalous. Audiences get the thrill of being "insiders", even if it’s only for a few hours, and filmmakers get a chance to dramatise the one world they know best.

What makes The Ba***ds of Bollywood especially addictive is its self-awareness. The show isn’t just about actors or films—it’s about the machinery that produces them, the friendships and rivalries that form, and the dreams that soar or crash spectacularly. There’s an almost irresistible charm in watching Bollywood deconstruct itself, revealing contradictions, absurdities, and vulnerabilities while still keeping the glamour alive. It’s messy, it’s chaotic, and yes—it’s deliciously fun.

Bollywood telling stories about Bollywood also reminds us of the industry’s dual nature: larger-than-life yet human, dazzling yet flawed, fantastical yet painfully relatable. And with Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood now joining this tradition, one thing is clear: Bollywood will never stop being fascinated with itself. After all, who better to tell these stories than the people living them? And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a little peek behind the curtain at the drama that fuels it all?

Because at the end of the day, Bollywood is like that friend who can’t stop texting about their own chaos—and even though you're busy, you just can’t help reading every message.

Lead image: Netflix

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