Aryan Khan waves and smiles at Kolkata event amid middle-finger controversy

Aryan Khan poses for the cameras

Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan, who made his directorial debut with The Bads of Bollywood, recently appeared at an event in Kolkata on Sunday night amid a controversy about a hand gesture that went viral at a pub in Bengaluru. He arrived in Kolkata on Sunday, December 7, for the D’yavol event at The Westin.

The director and businessman, who has been under investigation, appeared to be quite happy as he posed for the paps and fans. Aryan happily waved for the cameras and posed with the thumbs up.

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For the event, Aryan sported a casual yet stylish look. He wore a black t-shirt paired with matching jeans. He topped it off with a blue leather jacket.

Aryan gave the paparazzi another thumbs up after posing for pictures. He later joined his hands in a "namaste" posture. The actor was seen grinning and waving to everyone in attendance after entering.

Also Read: Aryan Khan middle-finger row: Zaid Khan DEFENDS Shah Rukh Khan’s son; says gesture “was for his manager, not the crowd”

This comes after a video of Aryan giving someone in the audience the middle finger from the pub balcony went viral on social media, sparking a controversy. A lawyer filed a formal complaint, claiming that the behaviour constituted "insult to women's modesty" and requesting a formal complaint under applicable public decency regulations. Since then, a legal investigation has been started.

Meanwhile, Zaid Khan, a close friend and fellow actor, stood up for Aryan, claiming the gesture was humorously aimed at the star-kid's manager rather than the audience.

However, Aryan is thriving professionally following his debut. He has now become the youngest filmmaker to enter IMDb’s 2025 Top 10 Directors List.

Also Read: Aryan Khan faces police complaint after showing middle finger in Bengaluru's pub; netizens say, ‘Young man shows his love through hand signals’

Written and directed by Aryan Khan and produced by Gauri Khan under the Red Chillies Entertainment banner, The Bads of Bollywood features a powerful ensemble cast led by Lakshya Lalwani, Bobby Deol, Mona Singh, Raghav Juyal, Anya Singh, Manoj Pahwa, Manish Chaudhari, Sahher Bambba, Gautami Kapoor, Rajat Bedi, and several others.