Nepotism in Bollywood: An Endemic Whose Existence We Are Beginning to Realize – Editorial

Nepotism in Bollywood has become the talking point recently throughout India. It grabbed eyeballs after Kangana Ranaut’s interview with Karan Johar where she openly slammed him for being the “flag-bearer of nepotism in bollywood.” She said it so smoothly and effortlessly that Karan was left dumbstruck. He never expected that someone would show him the mirror, right on his face, on his show. He did reply to her later, but, they were just hateful comments and nothing that made sense. After all, it’s the truth. Nepotism has been existing since ages and is still going on.

Nepotism is not deep-rooted and prevalent in other fields as much as in Bollywood. Ever thought why do we have exams for IIT, IAS, AIIMS etc.? Why doesn’t the heir get automatically elected, so on and so forth? These exams exist to be able to choose the most competitive and deserving candidate for a role.

Why do coaching centres like PACE, Bansal, Resonance, etc. even exist? Do you know the turnover for the Kota coaching class industry alone is a whopping 1500 crores? Imagine what this number would turn out to be if we included the whole country. These multi-billion dollar industries are functioning only to make sure that the right candidate gets to reach the top.

Then why are we allowing nepotism in bollywood stay and play? We are all fond of this profession, and it affects us deeply every day. Shouldn’t the chance of someone getting an actor’s role also be equal and transparent like the rest of the professions? Why are the privileged getting more privilege? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way round?

Let’s be pragmatic and think that even though we are all talking about nepotism, nothing is happening about it. It is more of just mere talk, that’s it. Just recently Janhvi Kapoor, Ananya Pandey and Sara Ali Khan have been comfortably launched into Bollywood.

Now they are enjoying the fruits of being part of blockbuster movies. Most regarded directors, fashion designers, musicians, etc. are working for them day and night. They are getting to stand shoulder to shoulder among all the big stars and continuing to work on their next project. After that project, they will have more offers in their kitty, and this will continue to go on and on.

I am not denying that doing a film is difficult. I am sure that it’s very challenging to act in a movie and spend an entire year on a project and promote it as well. Aspiring actors/actresses commit themselves for this struggle, but, the launch of a star kid damage their chances. Favoring a friend’s friend doesn’t make any sense. This makes the art impure and dilutes it down.

Also Read: 6 Biggest Success Stories of Nepotism in Bollywood

This is the reason why the acting profession is a difficult one. When an individual aspires to become an actor, his friends and family laugh off at him. They understand that connections are mandatory to achieve success. And I agree that there are a bunch of talented people who managed to make a career for themselves in movies. But, the chances of them reaching the top of the food chain decrease due to nepotism.

Some star kids who witnessed a big launch but fell flat even after so much power and money. Arya Babbar – S/o Raj Babbar, Mimoh Chakraborty – S/o Mithun Chakraborty, Mustafa Burmawala – S/o Abbas Burmawala and Harman Baweja – S/o Harry Baweja failed to make an impact.

Harman Baweja had a massive launch with his first film, but he failed miserably. There were rumors of him dating Priyanka Chopra as well. However, even after such publicity stunts, he didn’t succeed at the box office. Sikander Kher also couldn’t make a mark even after being the son of Anupam Kher who also happens to own a reputed acting school. Citing that nepotism in bollywood dates way back. Suneil Anand – S/o Dev Anand. He has been part of a fair share of Hindi movies, but, who can stop the inevitable.

An overwhelming example is Tiger Shroff. Some may wonder how is he being offered a movie after movie even after a series of flops. His movies like – Heropanti, Munna Michael, Flying Jatt, etc. crashed. But he still manages to get work from big studios. We know what happened there! Having said that, I have immense respect for Tiger Shroff. His humility has no bounds. I have never seen a star kid who is both respectful and nice to others. In his interviews, he calls everybody “Sir.” His humility levels are unmatched. He is grateful for the celebrity status that he has, way before he even entered Bollywood.

Some celebrity kids who did manage to make it big are Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Hrithik Roshan, etc. to name a few. And the list goes on and on.

Now for a moment, let’s think about great actors like Rajkummar Rao, Irrfan Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpai, etc. Did they get a movie right away after landing in Mumbai? Was it so that they had big money studios waiting to launch them? The answer is no! They struggled for years together, and they hustled hard to get noticed. Many are probably still struggling.

There is no guarantee that a star kid will be a good actor, but that does not mean they get such an easy launch which is a phone call away. Acting is an art, and an artist is chosen purely and solely for his art and talent. There should be a single and transparent way to choose who gets a role and who doesn’t. Just because someone is related to somebody, doesn’t mean they get a role.

Finally, let’s hope that nepotism in bollywood ends and the most deserving person gets the credit. This will make our industry a better place.

What are your thoughts about Nepotism in Bollywood? Sound off in the comments section below!