Aryan Khan’s The Bads of Bollywood Crowned IMDb’s Most Popular Indian OTT Series of 2025

Aryan Khan’s debut series The Bads of Bollywood has emerged as IMDb’s most popular Indian OTT show of 2025, marking a major milestone for the first-time creator and cementing the show’s position as a cultural phenomenon of the year.

Released in September on Netflix, the series quickly became a talking point for its edgy, unfiltered depiction of the murky side of the Hindi film industry. With Lakshya Lalwani delivering a breakout performance as a determined outsider navigating a maze of glamour, manipulation and ambition, the show blended satire, drama and industry commentary in a way that instantly resonated with younger audiences. Its star-studded cameos and bold narrative choices only amplified the buzz.

Reacting to the top ranking, Aryan Khan said the achievement felt like the culmination of a deliberate creative mission. “We didn’t just want to make a show — we wanted to start conversations, trigger debates, and create a pop-culture moment,” he said. “When a series becomes memes, edits, jokes, fights and obsessions… that’s when it’s not just content anymore. It becomes part of culture.”

The annual list places The Bads of Bollywood ahead of several heavyweight titles, including a mix of crime thrillers, investigative dramas and long-running fan favourites. The top 10 includes Black Warrant, Paatal Lok (Season 2), Panchayat (Season 4), Mandala Murders, Khauf, Special Ops (Season 2), Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, The Family Man (Season 3) and Criminal Justice: A Family Matter.

An interesting trend highlighted by the rankings is the overwhelming dominance of darker, high-intensity genres. Seven of the top ten shows fall into the crime, mystery or thriller category, signalling a continued shift in viewer preference toward grittier, character-driven storytelling. Streaming giants also continued their stronghold, with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video securing most spots on the list.

For Aryan Khan, who steps into the spotlight not as an actor but as a creator, the win is a significant validation of his directorial instincts and storytelling voice. Many industry watchers note that the series’ success signals the rise of a new generation of creators unafraid to take risks and challenge mainstream storytelling norms.

As the show continues to gain traction globally, The Bads of Bollywood stands as one of the year’s most impactful streaming successes — a project that not only dominated charts but shaped conversations far beyond the screen.