Aryan Khan’s close friend, Arbaaz Merchant, has finally opened up about the young filmmaker after years of silence.

Arbaaz shared a long, emotional post on Instagram to celebrate Aryan’s debut project, The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which recently released on Netflix.

In his heartfelt note, he recalled a childhood memory with Aryan. 

He wrote that when they were kids, he once asked Aryan when audiences could expect to see him in movies.

Shah Rukh Khan's son had replied, “I don’t want to be in the movies, but one day I’ll be making the best movies out there.” 

Arbaaz said it was moving to see him now taking his first steps as a professional filmmaker and called the show the best on Indian soil.

He added that he was proud of his journey and wished him success ahead. 

“May you continue to bring out the best in your scripts, actors, crew, and everyone around you, just like you have since the last 28 years of your life. Wishing (or rather predicting) that you have the best career of all time,” he wrote.

Furthermore, he also praised Aryan’s close team, mentioning Manav Chauhan for his dedication, Ankit Dahiya for his calming presence, and Ujwal Gupta for his musical talent. 

He joked that one day he would need concert tickets to watch Ujwal perform live.

Arbaaz thanked all the actors for their performances and addressed the crew with a note that read, “Rest up, season 2 starts soon.” 

This line has left fans excited about the possibility of a second season of the Netflix series.

The post was accompanied by photos from the premiere night and older stills of Aryan from the time of the show’s announcement.

Arbaaz’s message quickly caught attention because it’s the first time he has spoken openly about him since their names were linked in a drug-related case in 2021. 

Both were detained, along with others, during the NCB raid in October that year.

Since then, he had maintained silence about Aryan in public.

The Ba***ds of Bollywood marks Aryan Khan’s debut as a director.