Before Aryan Khan: Bollywood Star Kids Who Started Their Journey as Assistant Directors

Aryan Khan made his Bollywood debut with Netflix’s series The Bads of Bollywood, where he plays an aspiring outsider trying to navigate the ruthless film industry. The series also stars Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Mona Singh, and Vijayant Kohli, and follows the clash between dreamers and powerful insiders, exposing the glitz, struggles, and darker side of Bollywood.

Sushmita Sen’s elder daughter Renee Sen worked as an assistant director in Bad Newz (2014). The film starred Akshay Kumar, Diljit Dosanjh, Kareena Kapoor and Kiara Advani, and revolved around a series of unexpected twists when a struggling common man’s life gets entangled with a wealthy and powerful family, leading to chaos, comedy, and drama.

Arjun Kapoor began his career behind the camera, working as an assistant director on Nikkhil Advani’s Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) and later on Salaam-e-Ishq (2007). He also gained production experience as an associate producer on his father Boney Kapoor’s films No Entry (2005) and Wanted (2009).

Before stepping into acting, Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor worked as an assistant director on Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet (2015). He later made his mark as both an actor and producer with projects like Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, Thar, and the anthology web series Ray.

Before pursuing an acting career, Sonam Kapoor worked as an assistant director on Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s critically acclaimed film Black (2005) at the age of 17. She took up the role to understand the craft of filmmaking from its foundation, initially planning to stay behind the camera until Bhansali encouraged her to step into acting.

Varun Dhawan began his journey in films as an assistant director on Karan Johar’s My Name Is Khan (2010), gaining valuable experience under Johar’s mentorship. He later made his acting debut with Student of the Year (2012), which marked the start of his successful Bollywood career.