The tall Banyan tree shines with the coolest pomp, but does it let others shine? –Sometimes yes, most of the time, no. It’s what we could decipher from the preview launch of The Bads Of Bollywood. Aryan Khan veiled out from his comforting cocoon, to stand on the stage to prompt, ‘main yahan hoon,’ –but Shah Rukh Khan unintentionally sprawled the cocoon further, saying, ‘main hoon naa.’
Ever since the storm of anticipation swelled, it’s Shah Rukh Khan’s echoes that have carried farther than Aryan Khan’s own voice. The first look dropped, and instead of Aryan’s own tone, it was SRK’s velvety nostalgia from Mohabbatein that swept over the screen, maybe a heartfelt homage, or maybe a quiet eclipse. Intentions may have been pure, but does the towering shadow not risk blurring the silhouette trying to rise behind it?
The preview event, though meant to herald Aryan, stood on the spine of Shah Rukh’s legacy. The audience cheered, yes, but not just for Aryan. They cheered for the father standing beside. And while that ardour is definite, one wonders: how can a new sun rise if the moon never sets?
But let’s not mistake this reflection for rejection. The Bads Of Bollywood holds promise, seizing, stylised, dark with just the right bite. Aryan Khan, in his first swing, has not missed. The optic flair, the narrative tempo, the unapologetic tone all scream of a voice wanting to speak for itself. And it does. He’s not a muted echo of SRK; he’s a whisper trying to roar.
His stage presence was quiet fire, no frills, no pomp, just raw intent. Humble in posture, but confident in clarity. Aryan Khan didn’t arrive with swagger; he arrived with substance. That matters more.
But for that substance to be seen, the audience must stop being distracted by the legacy standing behind. And maybe, the legacy must know when to step a few paces back. Love needn’t always be loud. Protection doesn’t always mean presence.
The world will watch Aryan with inherited scrutiny, some will dismiss him as lucky sperm, some will envy the head start, but none of that matters if the work speaks. And the work is beginning to whisper truths. With time, it just might thunder. We understand that second gen star kids have not really fared well in recent times, thus SRK ensuring to pull all strings, the comfy set up, power packed cameos, his over presence to ensure Aryan is accepted. But the great Khan must remember, this is an audience’s medium and he can only command a high ticket launch, rest, it’s Aryan’s journey. Aryan has seen tough times, he is molded in challenges and he seems a no non sense person. Let him be, if he succeeds, it should not be SRK’s win, and if he fails, he will learn and evolve.
Let him rise, let him stumble, let him bleed a little, because that’s where artistry is born. Not in comfort, but in chaos. And Aryan Khan seems watchful to trek through the typhoon, if only he’s allowed to.
