The first four episodes of the web series Showtime dropped today on Disney+ Hotstar. The Karan Johar-produced show has caught attention since it attempts to show the dark secrets of the Bollywood film industry. While the show delivers on this front, it also has several other surprises. Bollywood Hungama has learned that the show boasts of several cameos by prominent members of the film industry. In fact, it could be the highest ever for a Hindi web series.
Some of the prominent actors who have a special appearance in Showtime are Janhvi Kapoor, Mrunal Thakur, Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi. Then, veteran actor Dharmendra makes his web debut-of-sorts with a special appearance in this show. And that’s not all. Reputed filmmakers like Hansal Mehta, Gurmmeet Singh of Mirzapur fame, Dangal (2016) and Chhichhore (2019) director Nitesh Tiwari and Monica O My Darling (2022) director Vasan Bala also appear in crucial scenes. Interestingly, Vasan is directing Karan’s upcoming film, Jigra, starring Alia Bhatt. Reputed costume designer Manish Malhotra is also seen in a scene.
The makers also go one step ahead. For a funeral scene, footage of Neetu Kapoor, Rakesh Roshan, Jeetendra and Prem Chopra from an actual final journey of a real-life celebrity has been neatly woven into the narrative. Another unique initiative is that a film depicted during the course of the story is Screw Dheela, starring John Abraham and Tamannaah Bhatia. In 2022, Karan Johar launched a film of this name, starring Tiger Shroff. It was put on the backburner due to pandemic-related factors.
Showtime stars Emraan Hashmi, Mahima Makwana, Rajeev Khandelwal, Mouni Roy and Shriya Saran in lead roles with Naseeruddin Shah in a supporting role. It is the story of the son of a famous producer, who tries to run the family-owned studio on his own terms, causing friction between the two. However, what adds to the son’s dilemma is when an outsider springs out of nowhere and takes on him.
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