#BingeRewind: Nepo babies unexpectedly saved Bollywood this year and we’re not complaining!

From Ahaan Panday’s debut to Aryan Khan finally making his footing in Bollywood, nepo babies being at the top wasn't on our 2025 bingo card!

2025 has been an unexpected year in terms of content and performances. The magnum opuses that were expected to work failed and the newbies who had all eyes on them and were expected to fail, gave hits that Bollywood hasn’t seen in years! From Aryan Khan’s audacious directorial debut with The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which became one of 2025’s most talked-about series to Ahaan Panday’s breakout as a romantic lead in Saiyaara, that powered its way to the top, this new wave of star kids rewrote the script on what it means to be a ‘nepo baby’ in Bollywood. Alongside them, rising talents like Rasha Thadana whose Uyi Amma sensation became a huge pop culture moment andSara Arjun commanding attention with her compelling turn in Dhurandhar and off-screen elegance, proved that maybe some star kids know how to use their Bollywood upbringing to their advantage!

Also Read: #BingeRewind: Performances in films that lit up our screens this year!

Here's why we feel so!

Rasha Thadani - Azaad

At the mere age of 19, Rasha Thadani made her debut in Azaad. Even though the film did not fare well at the box office, her performance garnered a lot of attention from the audiences. She not only made the public nostalgic of her mother’s movies through her expressions, she also became a pop culture sensation with her song that broke the internet. Uyi Amma had us all playing it on loop and trying to re-create the steps like she does and what a moment that is to have as a newcomer in the industry!

Sara Arjun - Dhurandhar 

Although she has limited screen time in the film, she still manages to create an impact on-screen through her character, Yalina. She is fierce in the intense scenes but she is also naive and innocent for the most part which made her likeable as an audience!

Ahaan Panday - Saiyaara

In an era where Bollywood was struggling with romantic films, Ahaan Panday’s performance as Krish Kapoor took the big screen by storm. It had theatres filled after a long time and people feeling his love and heart break through the screen like it was their own. With zero PR or interviews before the film, he solely let his performance speak for itself first and he filled cinemas houses without any prior body of work to bank on! A phenomenon like this is simply rare to witness in today’s times!

Aryan Khan - The Ba***ds of Bollywood

As the son of the biggest superstar in the country, he knew the amount of opinions that would follow post his directorial debut. All eyes were on him and the pressure was on! But he not only delivered a hit series this year, he also surprised us with how entertaining the meta humour was in the show. The last time we saw this kind of humour was in Farah Khan’s film and to see that back on-screen was rather refreshing. He used his contacts to use the best of the best names in the industry to do a cameo in his show, his story stands tall even without all the glamour attached to it. The romance, the action, the references to his father’s iconic films played out seamlessly into making it one of most watched shows of 2025. Who knew that the guy who never smiles in front of the paparazzi had a sense of humour that would make the whole nation laugh!

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Whose work did you like watching the most this year? Let us know in the comments below!

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