The string of star cameos is a big draw of the second season of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, apart from the amped up catfighting and shifting dynamics between the four leads — Neelam Kothari, Maheep Kapoor, Bhavana Pandey and Seema Sajdeh.
Show producer Karan Johar features in several episodes, almost serving as the fifth important character in the plot, accosting a new celebrity each time. Here are the star cameos to watch out for in the Netflix show.
Ranveer Singh
The first episode promises a Ranveer Singh appearance; you get to see him in the last episode. Karan invites the four leading ladies to the set of his film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, after they keep pestering him for an invite. Ranveer, who stars in the film, shows up and floors the four. Oh, Karan lets them stay on for the shoot of a scene with Ranveer in the shower, showing off his abs.
Gauri Khan
The most famous wife of Bollywood appears in several episodes of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives Season 2, giving a peek into her life. You get to see Gauri Khan as an artist as well as an entrepreneur instead of just being Shah Rukh Khan’s better half. Her real-life bond with the four ladies is also evident.
Farah Khan
Filmmaker-choreographer Farah Khan’s cameo is one of the most entertaining this season. Farah officiates Bhavana and Chunky Panday’s renewal of vows in the last episode, on their invitation. Farah’s brand of quirky humour finds a perfect foil in the Chunky.
Sima Taparia
Indian Matchmaking’s star matchmaker Sima Taparia’s cameo is a smart Netflix show crossover that is entertaining as well. Sima is hired by Maheep Kapoor to find a match for Seema Sajdeh, who recently divorced Salman Khan’s youngest brother Sohail Khan. But Sima and Seema are at loggerheads on almost everything related to marriage and relationships.
Manish Malhotra
Manish Malhotra had designed Bhavana’s wedding outfit 24 years back, making her the first Bollywood Manish Malhotra bride. Now he is back again as part of the preparations for Bhavana’s second wedding (to the same man), designing for the “first Manish Malhotra vow-renewal bride”.
Jackie Shroff
The veteran actor makes a grand entrance at the wedding in the final episode. Just as everyone is waiting for Bhavana to walk down, enters Jackie Shroff with his swag. An emotional Chunky shares Jackie’s role in his and his family’s lives over the years. Jackie brings with him a plant as a wedding gift and keeps praising the plant for producing oxygen at night.
The cameos that don’t really leave a mark
Zoya Akhtar
Neelam meets filmmaker Zoya Akhtar to talk about her role in the upcoming season of Made in Heaven, but Maheep turns up unexpectedly. What follows is a catty exchange between Maheep and Neelam as the evidently uncomfortable Zoya tries to blend into the background like a houseplant.
Badshah
Karan invites rapper Badshah on the show as a “blind date” for Seema. Seema tries too hard to get positive reviews of her new clothing line from the musician, making Badshah dismissive of the clothes and the dating prospect. His discomfort over showing up in the show is too obvious to ignore.
Bobby Deol
Bobby Deol’s discomfort is also palpable from the moment he faces the camera. Roped in to promote Seema’s clothing brand, Bobby is as dismissive of it as Badshah. Seema appears to have crossed a line when she proposed that Bobby and his family model for her clothing line. Bobby awkwardly puts her off, stating that he has always sheltered his children from the public eye and is not interested in letting them work as models.
Shweta Bachchan Nanda
Shweta Bachchan Nanda seems more fed up with the bickering ladies than the show’s trolls. Brought along by Karan for a short appearance, Shweta stays aloof and keeps quiet as the four friends start fighting over Bhavana’s alleged shrimp allergy. After sitting through a tedious argument, Shweta cannot stop herself from blurting out, “I promise I’ll eat the prawn crackers, just end this mindless fight.”