‘Showtime’ teaser offers look at Bollywood’s dark side

Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, and Mouni Roy offer a glimpse into the darker facets of Bollywood, exploring stories of nepotism and shifting power dynamics in the teaser for the upcoming series "Showtime" from Disney+ Hotstar and Dharmatic Entertainment, released by the makers on Wednesday.

The 50-second teaser unveils Emraan, Mahima Makwana, Mouni, and Naseeruddin as industry insiders dealing with the challenges of fame, internal politics, and hidden secrets. As the camera captures the action, the star cast is shown navigating their daily routines of filming, attending promotional events, and interacting with fans.

In the teaser, Emraan, portraying the 'Badshaah of Bollywood,' notes that in the present film industry, every "outsider" aspires to become an "insider" under the guise of nepotism before it transitions to scenes depicting protests and calls for a boycott against a young actor.

Mouni takes on the role of an actor-dancer in the series. In the teaser, Naseeruddin's character reveals a deep conviction that cinema is more than just a business—it is a religion to him. He also expresses sorrow about the deteriorating state of the industry.

Posting the teaser on Instagram, Karan Johar captioned, "Welcome to the world which functions on - lights, camera & action! Entangled in a struggle for power, 'Showtime' is a web series that will draw boundaries…only to cross them."

Created by Sumit Roy, "Showtime" is helmed by directors Mihir Desai and Archit Kumar. This series represents the second partnership between Disney+ Hotstar and Dharmatic Entertainment, following Karan Johar's celebrity talk show, "Koffee With Karan", currently available on the platform.

The premiere of Showtime is scheduled for next year on Disney+ Hotstar, although the specific date remains undisclosed at this time.