Page 91 - Masala E-magazine Vol 9 Issue 5 April - May 2018
P. 91
Nepotism may have existed since the genesis of Bollywood,
but it was Kangana Ranaut’s candid and daring interview
on Koffee with Karan that drew everyone’s attention. The
actress unabashedly called out Karan Johar by declaring him
as a “snooty, fl ag-bearer of nepotism, who was intolerant to
outsiders in the fi lm industry”. While the interview became
a source of endless controversies, it also sparked a much-
needed debate among celebrities and the public. The ballsy
interview may have happened a year ago but the dust still
hasn’t settled.
Joining in on the crusade was actress Huma Qureshi, who laid
out a constructive statement saying, “Not that star kids are not Kangana Ranaut (left) and Alia Bhatt (right)
talented, but the opportunities they get are far easier, projects
far bigger and the budget for their fi lms is huge. So it’s not a
level playing fi eld.” Actors hailing from fi lmy families, such as Alia Bhatt also came
forward to have her say, “I wanted to be here and this was my
Actor Ayushmann Khurrana added, “Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan dream. My connection to the family has made things easy for
and Ranbir Kapoor are talented. They are not getting fi lms just me. I don’t know if it is a good thing or not. I don’t want to feel
because they are star kids. But yes, they did get opportunities apologetic about where I am today. Neither do I feel apologetic
faster. I was 27 when I got Vicky Donor (2012). Had I been a star about being my father’s daughter.”
kid, I’d have got launched by 22 or 23.” The ‘N’ word makes people uncomfortable about their self-
“ Not that star kids are not talented, positioning, so it wasn’t a surprise when Karan Johar had a
rather defensive response. “It seems like we are criminals.
but the opportunities they get are far
easier, projects far bigger and the It’s like everywhere we are slapped with legal notices as
we are children of parents who are within the fi lm industry.”
budget for their lms is huge. So it’s Completely unapologetic about his choices, he kept his ‘movie
mafi a’ tag intact by launching Ishaan Khattar, half-brother of
not a level playing eld. “ Shahid Kapoor, and Janhvi Kapoor, daughter of late Sridevi, in
— HUMA QURESHI Dhadak, which is scheduled to release later this July.
In addition, the ever outspoken Kareena Kapoor Khan gave
a rather apathetic response, “Doesn’t nepotism exist in
every possible fi eld? But nobody addresses that? In family
businesses, the son takes over. A politician’s son takes over
his place. So I don’t understand why people are going on
about it.” Belonging to Bollywood royalty, Bebo’s justifi cation
of nepotism doesn’t come as a surprise but is nevertheless
disappointing.
No one doubts their commitment towards their work. But what
is fundamentally different is the amount of opportunities that
Ishaan Khattar and Janhvi Kapoor are waiting for the next generation of home-grown A-listers.
Can outsiders survive in Bollywood after multiple box-offi ce
failures? Probably not! While we recognise that star kids face
enormous pressure of living up to their family names, it can’t
be compared to the hardships an outsider encounters when
they try to break into the industry.
Hindi cinema over the years has become a family business,
and thus, it is empowering to see some people rejecting
the common occurrences. However, disparity still exists, so
whether you support it or slam it, it is a reality that will quite
possibly exist forever. With many claiming that it is the cause
for Bollywood’s current mediocre content, we can only hope
Huma Qureshi Ayushmann Khurrana that it doesn’t become the demise of Hindi cinema as well.
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