The Real Bastards of Bollywood: Aryan Khan, Privilege, and the Untouchables We Keep Forgiving

Bollywood loves drama on-screen and off. But the biggest drama playing out today isn’t in Netflix’s The Bastards of Bollywood. It’s in real life.

The Netflix show might be buzzy, packed with fictional villains and glossy storytelling, but let’s not get distracted. The real bastards of Bollywood aren’t actors in a web series. They’re the powerful stars and star-kids who keep getting away with crimes, scandals, and controversies not only forgiven but glorified.

And the poster boy of this culture today? Aryan Khan.

Aryan Khan: From Scandal to Superstar

Not too long ago, Aryan Khan was at the center of one of India’s biggest celebrity scandals — the Mumbai cruise drugs case. Overnight, headlines painted him as the fallen prince of Bollywood.

For an ordinary Indian, such a scandal would mean the end of career, reputation, and future. But Aryan isn’t ordinary. He’s the son of Shah Rukh Khan — King Khan, the most powerful name in the industry.

Fast forward to 2025, Aryan is not just back — he’s the face of Netflix’s The Bastards of Bollywood, praised as a “bold new voice.” His scandal? Whitewashed. His image? Rebranded. His power? Untouched.

This isn’t redemption. It’s privilege packaged as reinvention.

The Robert Downey Jr. Blueprint: Hollywood’s Lessons for Bollywood

If all of this feels familiar, it’s because Hollywood wrote the playbook.

Remember Robert Downey Jr.?

• Arrests.

• Drug addiction.

• Multiple scandals.

His career should have been finished. Instead, Marvel handed him Iron Man, and the world handed him a redemption arc worth billions. Today, he’s celebrated as a charismatic hero, not the troubled star he once was.

Bollywood clearly took notes. Aryan Khan is following the same blueprint: scandal rebranded as resilience, privilege disguised as talent.

Salman Khan: Criminal to “Bhai”

When it comes to Bollywood’s culture of selective forgiveness, Salman Khan takes center stage.

• Convicted in the 2002 hit-and-run case where a man sleeping on a pavement died.

• Convicted in the blackbuck poaching case.

• Accused in numerous controversies, from violent outbursts to industry feuds.

For anyone else, such a record would mean permanent social exile. But Salman didn’t just survive — he became “Bhai,” a cult figure worshipped by millions. His Being Human charity brand polished his image, his fan base shielded him, and Bollywood kept cashing in.

Justice didn’t punish him. Fame rewarded him.

Sanjay Dutt: A Biopic of Forgiveness

Another glaring example: Sanjay Dutt.

Convicted under the Arms Act in relation to the 1993 Bombay blasts case, Sanjay Dutt spent years behind bars. Yet Bollywood never abandoned him. In fact, it gave him the biggest gift of all — Sanju (2018), a biopic that turned his life into a sob story.

Played by Ranbir Kapoor, the film painted Dutt as a misunderstood victim of circumstance. Audiences lapped it up, and his career was resurrected.

Accountability was erased. A myth was born.

Why the Ordinary Pay, but the Privileged Thrive

Here’s the real hypocrisy:

• Ordinary citizens lose jobs, reputations, and futures for even minor mistakes.

• Bollywood’s elite transform crimes into comebacks.

They’re not untouchables because they’re oppressed. They’re untouchable because society refuses to touch their sins.

Every scandal becomes a marketing tool. Every conviction becomes a storyline. Every fall from grace is just a setup for a bigger, glossier comeback.

Why This Matters for India

This isn’t just about a few celebrities. It’s about the message society sends:

• That power is stronger than principle.

• That fame is stronger than justice.

• That in India, some men can literally kill, cheat, or exploit — and still be worshipped.

It’s about the dangerous precedent we set for the next generation. When Aryan Khan is celebrated instead of questioned, when Salman Khan is “Bhai” instead of a convict, when Sanjay Dutt is a “tragic hero” instead of accountable, what does that teach us?

That justice bends for the powerful. That privilege rewrites history. That Bollywood is not just entertainment — it’s propaganda for the untouchables.

Call Them What They Are

So yes, enjoy Netflix’s The Bastards of Bollywood. It’s entertaining, stylish, and addictive. But don’t mistake fiction for truth.

The real bastards of Bollywood are Aryan Khan, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, and others like them. Men whose sins were washed clean by fame, whose privilege rewrote their stories, and whose power silenced accountability.

Until we stop celebrating them, Bollywood will keep manufacturing bastards. And society will keep applauding.

Aapke Sawal, Hamare Jawab! (FAQs)

Q1. Why is Aryan Khan being called the “real bastard of Bollywood”? Aryan Khan is labelled this way because his drug scandal that shook Bollywood didn’t destroy his career — it launched it. Instead of facing consequences, he was rebranded as a Netflix-backed visionary, thanks to his father Shah Rukh Khan’s influence. This shows how star kids in Bollywood get away with scandals that would ruin ordinary people.

Q2. Is Aryan Khan’s comeback similar to Robert Downey Jr.’s redemption story? Yes, both are examples of how privilege protects the powerful. Robert Downey Jr. went from drug arrests to becoming Marvel’s Iron Man. Similarly, Aryan Khan’s scandal was buried under PR and privilege, letting him debut in The Bastards of Bollywood as if nothing happened. The key difference? Ordinary Indians would never get that chance.

Q3. Why is Salman Khan still celebrated as “Bhai” despite multiple criminal cases? Salman Khan’s fan base, charity optics (Being Human), and big-budget films helped him rebuild his image. Despite convictions in a hit-and-run case and the blackbuck poaching case, Bollywood and his fans turned him into a larger-than-life figure. He proves how Bollywood privilege shields stars from real accountability.

Q4. How did Sanjay Dutt’s film Sanju change public opinion about him? Sanju (2018) was a biopic that whitewashed his criminal past. Instead of focusing on his conviction under the Arms Act linked to the 1993 Bombay blasts, it framed him as a misunderstood, tragic hero. This sympathetic narrative revived his career, showing how Bollywood rewrites the image of its stars.

Q5. What is the bigger message behind “The Real Bastards of Bollywood”? The real message is that Bollywood rewards privilege, not accountability. While ordinary citizens face lifelong punishment for small mistakes, stars like Aryan Khan, Salman Khan, and Sanjay Dutt are forgiven, celebrated, and even turned into legends. It’s not about talent or justice — it’s about power, money, and image management.