The Bads of Bollywood is a show with a league of its own. While the main cast packs a punch, it’s the side characters that audiences can’t get enough of, especially Shaumik Talvar, the spoiled rich nepo kid. Played by Divik Sharma, Shaumik has quickly become Indian internet’s most “love-to-hate” character.
Naturally, curiosity has grown about the actor behind the role. Sharma has previously worked as an assistant on projects like Pahuna: The Little Visitors (2017), Laila Majnu (2018), Upstarts (2019), and the music video Chan Mahi (2017) by Neha Bhasin. Pahuna was produced by Priyanka Chopra’s Purple Pebble Films and is a Nepali-language film set in Sikkim.
By the finale of The Bads of Bollywood, Sharma had stolen the limelight. His character is Aryan Khan’s cheeky, razor-sharp take on nepotism. While Karishma Talvar (Sahher Bambba), Shaumik’s sister, represents the “heart of gold” nepo baby, Shaumik embodies everything the audience imagines such kids to be. He is loud, crass, and destructive, even at the cost of his family’s happiness.
From mocking an older fan at the airport to publicly humiliating his sister over a rumoured affair, there are no boundaries Shaumik won’t disdainfully cross. His special hatred, though, is reserved for his family’s domestic worker, Pushpa (Eshika Dey). It’s Sharma’s acumen in his debut role that has made viewers bristle with rage.
Also read: The Bads of Bollywood finally gives us the sidekick that everyone needs
Pop culture references and conspiracy theories
Sharma’s portrayal cleverly riffs on pop culture. It nods to Allu Arjun’s Pushpa films as well as Sharmila Tagore’s iconic Pushpa in Amar Prem (1972). But Shaumik twists those references into insults at his own Pushpa’s “incompetence.” His sneer, “Pushpaa saali chorr,” is almost a Gen Z version of the legendary, “Pushpa, I hate tears.”
A conspiracy theory doing the rounds online suggests the character is a thinly veiled dig at Ahaan Pandey, whose debut Saiyaara became a box-office juggernaut. Others argue it’s a commentary on the absolute worst stereotypes of nepo kids—from fumbling Hindi to belittling everyone around them.
If there’s ever an Indian adaptation of Game of Thrones, I don’t think much thought would be needed for Joffrey’s casting. pic.twitter.com/OquwYhZxN6
— Cine Vichaar (@Cine_vichaar) September 27, 2025
There are even whispers of a darker reference: the infamous Shiney Ahuja case, where the actor was jailed for exploiting his house worker.
The real Shaumik Talvar: Divik Sharma
Unlike his brash character, Sharma keeps a low digital profile. While most of the Bads of Bollywood cast flooded social media with show content, Sharma remained a man of few posts.
His Instagram feed is an ode to aesthetic — artsy black-and-white portraits, sunlit close-ups, and curated shoots. There are glimpses of his modelling stints for brands like Qua, as well as his knitwear designs featured in Verve India.
Only one post even hints at his breakout role. It’s a neon hand flipping the middle finger alongside the show’s poster. The caption is a simple “thank you,” tagging Aryan Khan and his co-stars.
The show’s co-creator Bilal Siddiqui provides the clearest clue about Sharma’s personality: “Killed it, brother. The fact that you’ve played an asshole like Shaumik and are nothing like that in real life shows what a good actor you are.”
But the most-liked comment under that post is a question: “Is it Pushpa’s boyfriend?”
It refers to the final scene, where Shaumik tells his mother he loves Pushpa, prompting her to scream even as audiences probably lost their collective minds. The twist broke the internet even more than the revelation that Karishma and Aasman (Lakshya) are step-siblings.
From Reddit to Instagram, everyone is furiously debating whether a second season is coming. If it does, fans are clear: the Pushpa–Shaumik love story is the one they want to see.