Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, received the Best Debutant Director of the Year award at the NDTV Indian of the Year 2025 ceremony held on December 19, 2025. The honour recognises his acclaimed directorial debut with the Netflix satirical series The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, which has been hailed as IMDb's Most Popular Indian Series of 2025 and praised for its sharp take on the Hindi film industry.

During his acceptance speech, delivered in Hindi, Aryan dedicated the award to his mother, interior designer Gauri Khan, humorously noting that it aligned with her advice against staying up late, mocking others, or using profanity—elements playfully featured in his series. He quipped, "Just like my dad, I love awards," while thanking his cast, crew, and Netflix for trusting a first-time director, and expressed hope for more accolades in the future.

Gauri Khan responded with a heartfelt Instagram post sharing a clip of his speech, captioning it: "Thank you for making me the happiest and proudest @aryan... now off to design a new cabinet to hold all your awards!!" Her message highlighted her pride and playfully referenced her profession as she anticipated future trophies for her son.

Also Read: Aryan Khan Wins Best Debutant Director at NDTV Awards, Dedicates Award to Gauri Khan

The Ba**ds of Bollywood*, produced under the family's Red Chillies Entertainment banner, features a strong ensemble including Lakshya, Bobby Deol, Raghav Juyal, and Sahher Bambba. The series' success marks Aryan's promising transition from in front of the camera—having voiced characters in animated films—to behind it as creator, writer, showrunner, and director, establishing him as a fresh voice in Indian entertainment.

Also Read: Aryan Khan Wins Best Debutant Director at NDTV Awards, Dedicates Award to Gauri Khan