Nepotism in Kollywood: “Nepotism†has become one of the most searched words on Google post the tragic death of the Bollywood actor, Sushant Singh Rajput. With Kangana Ranaut and a few others talking about the impact of Nepotism on Hindi Cinema. And how star kids found their way to the top of the food chain without much effort have left the audience questioning the state of true talents who do not have a film background.
Surprisingly, some of the topmost actors rocking the South Indian Box Office are, indeed, a product of Nepotism. But, Kollywood or the Tamil Cinema welcomes everyone with open hands as quite a few talents with no Godfathers in the industry made it to the top with hard work, struggle, and determination. The most fitting examples are Siva Karthikeyan and Vijay Sethupathi. With that said and done, let me take you through a list of actors who are sons/daughters or relatives of other actors or technicians, but still managed to create their audience and gain respect from their peers in the industry. The 7 success stories of Nepotism in Kollywood.
Also Read: 6 Success Stories of Nepotism in Bollywood
Fondly called as ‘Thalapathy’ by his beloved fans, Vijay currently rules the Tamil Cinema Industry, with his recent film Bigil minting 300 crores at the global box-office. Vijay is the son of director S. A. Chandrasekar, who directed over 70 movies and introduced Vijay as the lead actor in the 1992 action-drama, Nalaya Theerpu.
Before beginning his journey as a lead actor, Vijay also appeared as a child artist in five of his father’s films. And most importantly, his first four films as a lead actor were also directed by his father before he managed to get a breakthrough with Director Vikraman’s Poove Unakaga. Despite arriving at the industry with the help of his father, Vijay earned his fame and status and went on to become one of the Biggest stars of Kollywood, next only to ‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth. On another positive note, Vijay also introduced around twenty new directors to the industry in his prolific career. A prime example of the bright side of Nepotism in Kollywood.
Sons of the Veteran actor Sivakumar, Suriya and Karthi are one of the most talented actors in Kollywood. Suriya debuted in 1997 with Nerukku Ner opposite Vijay. On the other hand, Karthi debuted ten years later, in the critically acclaimed 2007 film Paruthiveeran. Karthi also worked as an assistant director under Mani Rathnam before venturing into acting. Both brothers are a household name in Tamil Nadu and enjoy a huge fan base in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala too.
Dhanush had created such a massive name for himself, that people tend to forget that he is the son of a reputed director Kasthuri Raja. Raja also has an elder son, Selvaraghavan, yet another famed director in the Tamil Cinema Industry.
Kasthuri Raja also introduced Dhanush to Tamil Cinema in 2002 with Thulluvadho Ilamai. Initially, body-shamed for his lean look, Dhanush went on to win a National Award in the Best Actor category for his 2011 film Aadukalam, shared the screen with Amitabh Bachchan in Shamitabh and debuted in Hollywood with The Extraordinary Journey of Fakir.
Other than his exceptional acting skills, Dhanush is also a multi-talented individual, he wrote and sung the song ‘Why this Kolaveri di?’ which went on to become a global chartbuster. He worked his way to the top as a producer, and also introduced Siva Karthikeyan to Tamil Cinema in the process. A supremely talented actor, Dhanush is, without a doubt, one of the supreme example of Nepotism in Kollywood.
Arun Vijay is the son of veteran actor Vijaykumar and debuted in the 1995 film Murai Mapilai, directed by Sundar. C for which he won a Filmfare award in the Best Debut category. Over the last two decades, Arun Vijay was seen in around 25+ films, of which many were decent and superhits. Despite having all the talent, he is still quite underrated. Interestingly, his step-sisters, Vanithaa, Preetha and Sridevi were also seen in several films.
Next on the list of the success stories of Nepotism in Kollywood, the daughters of Super Star Rajinikanth, Aishwarya and Soundarya have a decent experience in the industry. Aishwarya, the elder daughter of Rajinikanth, directed two feature films and one documentary and is married to Actor Dhanush, whom she worked with in her debut film as a director.
Her younger Sister, Soundarya is a film graphic designer and also a film director. She worked for many films in the visual department, including the title sequences of several of her father’s movies like Padayappa, Baba, Chandramukhi, and Sivaji. She also directed India’s first photorealistic motion capture film Kochadaiyaan with her father playing the lead role. Her second and the last film as a director was Vellai Illa Pattathari 2 that starred her brother-in-law, Dhanush, in the lead role.
Shruti Haasan, the daughter of actor Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika. Shruti made her debut in the 2009 Bollywood film Luck and made her first appearance as an actor in a Tamil film with Director A. R. Murugadoss’ ‘7aum’ Arivu opposite to Suriya. She also has appeared in several films in Telugu and Hindi language and has established herself as one of the leading actresses in the industry. Apart from acting, she has sung many songs and has composed music for her father’s film Unnai Pol Oruvan.
Nepotism in Kollywood: ‘Maestro’ Ilaiyaraaja and his family members were and still are a big part of the Tamil Cinema Industry. His eldest son Karthik Raja is a renowned music director but did not receive a successful break in the industry. Ilaiyaraaja’s daughter Bhavatharani lent her voice in albums composed by him and her brothers and won the National Award for the song ‘Mayil Pola’ composed by her father.
Ilaiyaraaja’s youngest son is the celebrated music director Yuvan Shankar Raja, who managed to hit it big in the industry, composing songs and background scores for over 100 films, winning numerous awards and accolades in a carrier spanning over two decades.
Ilaiyaraaja’s brother Gangai Amaran is also a music composer, singer, writer, and film director who worked in the industry during the 80s. He has two sons, Venkat Prabhu, who is the elder one, is an actor as well as a film director. He directed many successful films like Chennai-600028, Goa, Mankatha, and several others. His brother and the youngest son of Gangai Amaran is Premji Amaran, who has appeared in all of his brother’s films alongside a few other projects.
Who do you think are also some positive examples of Nepotism in Kollywood? Comment now!
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