Nepotism is not something new in this society. It has been present since the 5th century and people like Aristotle, Confucius and many more have criticized it already. So what’s the need to acknowledge it and outrage against it now?
Sadly, the movie actor and a self-made star, Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide on 14th June 2020, at an age of 34 and the people of India are going berserk over what might be the reason?
Maybe he was depressed because he was blacklisted by directors and producers?
Maybe he was having some troubles with his career as a star?
Whatever the question maybe but why the Nepotism issue is being debated?
‘Nepotism’ has been haunting the Bollywood industry for nearly a decade now. This matter began when Kangana Ranaut, an absolutely self-made Bollywood star without any big studio patronage, spoke on the couch of the most-watched English talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’ that Karan Johar is ‘the flag bearer of nepotism and a part of the movie mafia’.
Well! She is not really wrong, but Karan Johar can hardly be blamed as nepotism in Bollywood is a norm.
Karan surely has launched various star kids, be it Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and in ‘Student of the Year’, to Sara Ali Khan in Kedarnath and now Ananya Pandey in SOTY-2. We can’t forget about Jhanvi Kapoor in Dhadak, with the only aim to mould the superstars out of them.
But isn’t that true that Nepotism exists everywhere? It exists in politics, in the majority! The best examples to that are The Gandhis, The Yadavs! Apparently, the sports industry is somewhat safe from this.
When asked about their easier access to Bollywood biggies and getting roles in movies, many Bollywood star kids agree to the fact that there is an advantage as they know people who are in the industry and they know what it takes to become an actor; be it the dressing style or makeup or posing or acting or have a face that people would die for.
When Sara Ali Khan was asked about nepotism, she gave a head-on reply,
‘There is a privilege. It comes in the form of access, be it me getting Simmba or Kedarnath. But here’s what matters, we did not choose our parents. I love mom and dad, but I did not choose them. If I had a choice, I would choose them. I just feel that everyone has different starting points. But are we at different starting points? Yes, but that’s not enough reason to pull us down. If you’re good, your work will speak.‘
When asked about the advantages of being a star kid, she exclaimed, “There are perks of being an insider. The main perk is access. I could go to Rohit sir’s office and say, sir, would you please consider me for Simmba. That’s a privilege. So the access that my parents have worked so hard to enable me to have is not something I can deny or something that I can run away from.’
I would not go in detail of what the other star kids have to say but the fact remains that nepotism exists everywhere.
A doctor will always prefer his son or daughter to opt for medicine, a carpenter would always prefer his children to learn the trade and be in his business, but in Bollywood, as it not a private space, the opportunities given to undeserving people are being taken away from a more talented guy because in an order to keep the business in their families.
All families do it so why not them?
But this makes the Hindi film industry a filthy place to survive, if you don’t have a connection and off course a tough competition to be able to land a movie.
Coming to the last part of this idiotic yet important discussion about nepotism is that the people are the reason for these star kids to be taken as lead actors because people want to see how the children of those veteran actors or directors perform.
A more suitable example would be the viral popularity of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s son Taimur Ali Khan.
He hasn’t even learned to speak properly but the numbers of fan pages in his name have millions of followers. They literally die to get a glimpse of him even though he is just a child but the recognition and attention he is getting are because of his last name and his family background.
Due to this mentality of some of the Indian people when if Taimur will start his acting career, he will get his audience in the form of those people who are seeing him since he was born.
CONCLUSION
Show business is actually a money-making business where people invest billions and if they are given the options to spend money on someone they know, then they will obviously choose their near and dear ones who are watching film making process from a very young age.
But people like Akshay Kumar, Shahrukh Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Sushant Singh Rajput and many more stars came from nothing and their talents have been appreciated and praised.
So, if you have the talent and perseverance and willingness to do what it takes to be at the top, you can and will make headlines about how great you are!
Akash Rout is a jolly old fella who writes non-fiction as well as fiction. He is known for his rebellious yet subtle form of satires and humor. An aspiring stand-up comic with a science background. So, give him a break, will you!
I think everyone should read this article , at least , once .
Akash…. You are a brilliant writer , man
Hats off to you ??