Sep 09, 2026 10:30am IST
‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ Writer Bilal Siddiqui on Shah Rukh Khan, Season 2 and His Creative Influence (EXCLUSIVE)
"The Ba***ds of Bollywood" gave Bilal Siddiqui an opportunity to work closely with Shah Rukh Khan, an actor he says has influenced his relationship with cinema since he was young. For Siddiqui, the collaboration went beyond having one of India's biggest stars attached to the project. It offered a chance to observe how Khan approaches storytelling and creative discussions.
"For me Shah Rukh sir is cinema. I started watching movies and loving them because of him," Siddiqui tells Variety India in an exclusive interview. He says working around Khan during the creative process was an experience in itself. Rather than imposing his own interpretation on a writer's idea, he says the superstar understands what the writer is attempting to achieve and works within that intention.
"To even be a fly on the wall in creative discussions with him is unbelievable," Siddiqui observes. "He always understands what you are trying to achieve through your writing in terms of storytelling — and he never tries to change it."
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Instead, Siddiqui says Khan's contribution is about strengthening the idea that is already on the table. “He always betters an idea that you have and makes it the best possible version of the thought you pitch to him in a discussion,” he says.
For Siddiqui, that experience also connects to a longer association with Khan. He adds, “Shah Rukh Sir has always been extremely supportive and encouraging of my writing career ever since my first book 'The Bard of Blood,’”Siddiqui says.
That support has made the experience of working with Khan particularly significant for Siddiqui, who describes the opportunity to learn from him as an honour. "It's an honour that I have learnt so much from him, it's difficult to put it all down," he says.
Siddiqui's comments come as he reflects on "The Ba***ds of Bollywood," the Netflix series created by Aryan Khan. He says the show developed a distinct creative identity at the writing level through the collaboration between Aryan, Manav Sethi and himself.
"I think ‘Bads’ has a very strong DNA that makes it stand out," Siddiqui says. "It's got a very distinct voice that Aryan, Manav and I have managed to crack at a writing level itself as creators and that's what made it resonate with people."
The writer says the show’s reception has continued beyond its initial release, with people close to him returning to the series multiple times. “Even now, my friends tell me that they’re watching it for the third or fourth time and still finding it entertaining,” he says. Siddiqui believes, “The fact that it presented the film industry in a way that hadn't been done before made it break through the clutter," he says.
As for Season 2, Siddiqui remains careful about revealing its status, leaving any formal announcement to the show's principal partners. “Netflix and Red Chillies will be the best people to disclose details about Season 2,” he says.
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