Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos recently opened up about his warm relationship with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, calling him “probably the one I know the most and really enjoy working with” among Indian creators.
Sarandos revealed on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast that ever since his early visits to India, Shah Rukh Khan has been a gracious host. “He hosted a very nice little dinner for me, and we just hit it off immediately,” said Sarandos. He also shared that he and his wife have enjoyed spending time with Shah Rukh during their visits to India and even met the actor in Los Angeles when his son Aryan was in school there.
“Having dinner with Shah Rukh Khan in India is much different than having dinner with him in Los Angeles,” Sarandos noted, highlighting the close personal and professional bond they share.
Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh’s elder son, studied fine arts in film and television production at the University of South Carolina in Los Angeles and graduated in 2020. Aryan is now making his debut as creator, writer, director, and showrunner of the Netflix India show The B**ds of Bollywood*, produced under his father’s banner, Red Chillies Entertainment.
Sarandos praised Aryan’s work, saying, “I’ve watched the first two episodes so far. It’s very funny. I think people in India and people outside of India know nothing about the inner workings of Bollywood. So it’s a really fun world. He’s a very good director.”
While the cast details remain under wraps, the show’s synopsis describes The B**ds of Bollywood* as “a high-stakes drama where an ambitious outsider and his friends navigate the chaotic, larger-than-life, yet uncertain world of Bollywood.”
This marks another collaboration between Netflix India and Red Chillies Entertainment, following the 2019 spy thriller Bard of Blood and the 2020 zombie horror series Betaal, both produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s production house.