Deconstructing the Bollywood myth in fiction is a tricky tightrope few have walked successfully. Over the decades, it has been tackled in movies such as Guru Dutt’s seminal tragic romance Kaagaz Ke Phool, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s romantic comedy Guddi, Farah Khan’s masala potboiler Om Shanti Om, Zoya Akhtar’s Luck by Chance and Maneesh Sharma’s action thriller Fan.
From celebrating the movies to reality checks on fame and parasocial relationships between stars and their fans, you might expect films about the industry to have gone everywhere possible.
Netflix’s newest Indian television series The Bads of Bollywood aims to prove us wrong. But why are we exploring the volatile landscape of the Hindi film industry yet again? Bobby Deol, who plays calculating superstar Ajay Talwar in the show, has some theories.
“There’s no business like your business,” the actor, who was in Dubai with co-star Raghav Juyal on Wednesday, tells The National. “We’ve got tons of reference points, from the faces we’ve known to the people we’ve spoken to and dealt with. And there are a lot of untold stories there that we discuss with each other every day.”
Deol’s character reflects his broader experiences during a Bollywood career that has spanned more than three decades. “I’ve experienced so much in life, not just professionally, but also as a parent, getting to know what being a father means. It’s also why I can understand my character to an extent, and the decisions he makes.
“I don’t think of Ajay Talwar as an inherently bad or good person morally. He’s just a guy using everything in his toolbox to protect the ones he loves.”
The Bads of Bollywood marks the debut of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan as both writer and director. It balances Bollywood maximalism with a biting, irreverent satire on the film industry that boldly goes where nobody but Khan could go.
The show’s peek into the messy interpersonal politics of the storytelling business shatters the beautiful lie and turns the reality into a cruel joke, with the figures we idolise becoming punchlines.
Produced by Khan's mother, Gauri Khan, under the banner of Red Chillies Entertainment, The Bads of Bollywood's cast also includes Lakshya, Mona Singh, Sahher Bambba, Anya Singh, Manoj Pahwa, Rajat Bedi and Manish Chaudhary.
Juyal is full of praise for Aryan Khan. “What Aryan has done so well is to play with … the overall idea of Bollywood. There are so many stories that you’ve seen in entertainment news that are covered to such an insane degree, it’s just perfect.”
He adds: “The best thing Aryan did was to hold intensive workshops [for the actors], where we had an absolute blast, but it also taught us so much more about the people we worked with. I already shared that kind of rapport with [lead star] Lakshya since Kill, but those workshops helped make the on-screen friendship so much more convincing.”
Deol says: “Aryan knew exactly what the tone of my voice needed to be. He knew how much or how restrained I needed to be when expressing emotion. I’ve learnt a lot from him, because his process has pushed us to emote in ways we’d never have thought before.”
When asked what viewers might take from the show, Juyal stresses how personal each person's experience will be.
“A lot of people will take back the emotion of euphoria with them, and then there are those who will notice the sadness and the cracks. It’s all subjective.”
Then, after a pause, he adds: “Also that Bollywood is more than the stuff you see on screen. It’s all the people, good, bad and somewhere in the middle too.”
The Bads of Bollywood is now streaming on Netflix
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
HOW TO WATCH
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