Karan Johar’s reality drama returns with the third season of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives, but this time, it’s a “Delhi vs Mumbai” showdown of privilege, now titled Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives. Unfortunately, the biggest losers in this blingy battle of who’s richer, cooler, and more fashionable are the audience!
While the first two seasons of the series became an instant guilty pleasure for viewers, filled with lighthearted delusion and subtle moments of relatability, this third season lacks the charm and fun. Despite introducing new faces like Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Shalini Passi, and Kalyani Saha to join the regular wives—Maheep Kapoor, Neelam Kothari, Bhavana Panday, and Seema Sajdeh—the series fails to spark the same level of entertainment.
The Delhi vs Mumbai angle, a tired trope, feels forced and superficial, adding no depth beyond comparing fashion and accents. The tension seems non-existent, and it’s clear the stars themselves were bored. The group’s trip to Delhi comes across like a punishment, with the ‘Mumbai girls’ visibly unenthused. Even the glamorously staged scenes and overly scripted interactions couldn’t hide their disinterest.
Enter Karan Johar, trying to inject some excitement with a mini Koffee With Karan-style intervention. But his over-the-top skit and the addition of Orry, who feels out of place, only heighten the artificiality of the show. Where’s the authentic drama? Where’s the spice that made us binge the first two seasons?
Even the beloved Maheep and Seema’s usual antics fall flat, and the new entrants—while stylish—lack the chemistry to drive the drama. Shalini Passi’s mysterious aura offers some intrigue, but it’s not enough to carry the entire show. At this point, the series feels more like a long advertisement for cafés than an actual reality show.
Karan Johar has spoiled us with rich-people problems in their glossy white mansions, but Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives proves to be a painful step back in the realm of guilty-pleasure TV. And using Saif Ali Khan as trailer bait only to disappoint in execution? Big letdown!
This season doesn’t deliver the masala, and we can’t help but miss the relatable ridiculousness of its predecessors.