Veteran actor Manoj Pahwa has revealed that he had creative disagreements with debutant director Aryan Khan during the making of the popular Netflix series, 'The Ba***ds of Bollywood'. The show, which was one of the standout surprises of 2025, featured Pahwa in a pivotal role as a foul-mouthed uncle.
Creative Differences Over Character's Language
In a candid conversation on Kunal Vijaykar's YouTube channel 'Khaane Mein Kya Hai', Pahwa opened up about his initial discomfort with the excessive abusive language written for his character. He expressed his reservations directly to the young director, Aryan Khan.
"On a couple of occasions, we had a bit of disagreement as well," Pahwa admitted. He recalled telling Aryan, "Main bola itni gaali vaali yaar, matlab mereko thodi si…. Itna badtameez aadmi." (I said, so many abuses, I mean I was a bit... What an uncouth fellow).
Shah Rukh Khan's Personal Approval
The actor's biggest hesitation was regarding a specific dialogue aimed at none other than the show's producer and Aryan's father, superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Pahwa was uneasy about calling SRK "ghante ka badshah" on screen.
It was then that Aryan Khan assured him, revealing that Shah Rukh Khan had personally read and approved the entire script. Aryan conveyed his father's feedback to Pahwa, saying, "Dad ne script padhi hui hai. Aapke mooh se gali badi achi lagti hai. Dad ne bola hai yeh rakhna zaroor." (Dad has read the script. Abusive words sound very good coming from you. Dad said to definitely keep this).
A Vote of Confidence for Aryan Khan
Despite the disagreements, Manoj Pahwa was full of praise for the first-time director. He was quick to credit Aryan Khan for his performance, stating, "I want to give Aryan all the credit for this." He also shared that while several actors had auditioned for the part, Aryan was particularly keen on casting him for the role.
The series, which marked Aryan Khan's directorial debut, also starred Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Mona Singh, and Anya Singh. It was produced by Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment and became a major talking point upon its release on Netflix in 2025.
Manoj Pahwa, who was recently seen in web shows like 'Perfect Family' and 'Single Papa', highlighted the collaborative process and the ultimate trust placed in the director's vision, backed by the producer's seal of approval.
