Is it fair to say that Bollywood is nepotistic?
DNA After Hrs analyses if the charge is fair or not
Of late, there have been several conversations about the film industry being nepotistic. While it is true that many actors and actresses have actor parents or filmmaker dads, that could have more to do with children following in their parents' careers than the industry insiders trying to keep the business "within the family".
Distributor Akshaye Rathi says, "What you call nepotism in Bollywood is there in all industries " from corporate to sports. It happens across all sectors. Are you saying that Rohan Murthy, the son of Narayan Murthy should not inherit Infosys, despite being brilliant in his work, just because he is his father's son? It's such a ridiculous notion that people have and just because it is the entertainment industry, it becomes an easy target for such debates. I am a kid who has grown up in the entertainment industry and I am the fourth generation in my family of film distributors and exhibitors. I could have gone into another profession but I have been going to the office since I was a three-year-old kid, seeing how things work and it is virtually ingrained in my brain by now. So, I am obviously at an advantage because I literally grew up seeing all this compared to somebody who may be a rank outsider and that's completely fine."
The door to the film-industry-is-nepotistic debate was opened by Kangana Ranaut on a tv show. We did a quick review of how many film kids have entered the movie business in recent years. And we found that the outsiders outnumber the filmy bachchas for now.
Film critic Rajeev Masand explains why that has happened, "In recent years, the stakes have become much higher. Producers and studios can't afford to cast star kids just because they're so-and-so's son or daughter. That alone is not enough, as, frankly, it once used to be. Sure the star kids still often gets first dibs on new projects but producers are looking for a newcomer with talent and charisma and looks. Just a famous surname won't sell tickets. As a result of this shift, there have been several talented outsiders in recent years who made it past the gate and seem like they're here to stay."
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh explains, "Nepotism helps but eventually, success, work, how talented you are and what numbers your film delivers is what matters."
Queen is an outsider!
Anil Kapoor's daughter Sonam Kapoor made her debut on the same day as Deepika Padukone. And if the industry was indeed biased towards their own, how do you explain Deepika Padukone being the reigning queen of Bollywood. Every top actress in every decade has been a non-industry girl, except for Kareena Kapoor Khan. Hema, Madhuri, Sridevi. Katrina. And now, Deepika.
Akshaye agrees, "Absolutely. I think Madhuri Dixit is the biggest example of how successful a non-industry girl can be. But you must remember that for every decade or year while you have such successful outsiders like a Shah Rukh coming in, you also have a Salman and Aamir Khan who come from the film industry."
It all adds up...
Yes, the industry gives breaks to their own. But then, no one asks Mukesh Ambani how many of his relatives or friends or their children are employed by Reliance group of companies? If you care to see, you will find that if there is a Varun Dhawan who gets a big break, there is a Sidharth Malhotra, too, in the same film. For every Sooraj Pancholi in the industry, there is a Sushant Singh Rajput. If an Aditya Roy Kapur gets a break, so does Ayushmann Khurrana. Akshaye feels, "This outsiders vs insiders (Bollywood kids) debate is a very overrated notion. When Prithviraj Kapoor first came in, he was an outsider, then his children Raj Kapoor and his sons, Rishi, Randhir and Rajiv became insiders. When Shah Rukh Khan first came in, he was an outsider, but now his son Aryan will be a Bollywood kid if he wants to enter the film industry. There are so many insiders who don't do well like Harman Baweja and Jackky Bhagnani, who have not lived up to their legacies. The lines get blurred between the outsiders and insiders."
Stakes are too high
Statistics show that if Arjun Kapoor gets launched by Aditya Chopra, so does Ranveer Singh. If Sajid Nadiadwala launched Tiger Shroff with fanfare, he did the same with Kriti Sanon, who has no filmi connection, in the same film. Today, outsider Ranveer Singh is in the same position as insider Ranbir Kapoor, who comes from three generations of actors. If Ranveer is getting the same opportunities as Ranbir, do we need to talk about nepotism?
Masand makes a valid point, "Ranveer is as popular as Ranbir. He's a great example of how Bollywood throws open its doors and rolls out the red carpet for an actor who can deliver the goods. In just a few years, Ranveer has made it to the upper echelons of the industry and he's in a position to cherrypick the films and roles he wants to do. Nepotism " and partiality to star kids " might exist at the very early stages, but the stakes are too high today. The film industry is famously profit-focused. They'll embrace a donkey if he sells tickets. And you could be the most famous star kid in the country and they'll drop you like a hot potato if you can't put bums on seats. It sounds cruel, but it's true. And it's exactly as it should be. Being the son of a big name star can only get your foot into the door. It might help you get your first film. But if you can't act, and can't sell tickets, it's goodbye."
Do the math
For every Alia Bhatt and Shraddha Kapoor, there is a Parineeti Chopra and an Anushka Sharma. Kareena Kapoor Khan is to the manor-born, but Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif haven't fared too badly. If Sunil Shetty's Athiya Shetty is one-film-old, so is Disha Patani, minus an actor daddy. Jacqueline Fernandez, Ileana d'Cruz and Esha Gupta have all worked with Akshay Kumar. One would say these out-of-towners have done well for themselves.
Rajeev adds, "Star daughters have it harder than star sons. To be fair, film families have tried to hold back their daughters from working in the movies. It's famously true of the Kapoors, until Karisma and Kareena broke the rules. Dharmendra was famously unhappy when Esha decided she wanted to act. Ahaana was not encouraged to work in the movies. As a result, the industry has had to look elsewhere for female actors " namely, beauty pageants, the ramp, the South film industry, etc. For every Kareena or Sonam or Sonakshi who has succeeded, there is a Juhi (Raj) Babbar, a Tina (Govinda) Ahuja, a Meghaa Chatterjee (Moushmi's daughter), and more that have tried and failed."
Outsiders have ruled
Not just today, since time memorial, all the top actors of the country have been outsiders. So let's not give the movie industry a bad name. Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand existed at the same time as Raj Kapoor, and gave him tough competition. Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar ruled the roost despite not being star kids. Rajesh Khanna had zero filmi relatives and no one has seen the kind of stardom he did. Raj Kapoor's son Rishi never reached the heights of stardom that writer Harivanshrai Bachchan's son Amitabh Bachchan did. The families of Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar and they are at the top for over 25 years. A time in which many film kids have come and gone.
Taran sums it up, "I think it's as easy or hard for both actors and actresses. People look for newcomers depending on the script. Sometimes the script may need a new heroine like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi which had a big star like Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka's debut film as a newcomer. And if the opportunity demands, why not? I feel an actor coming from a film background may have an easy access to films, but getting a film is different and something they have to work hard for. In today's times, it's not easy for anyone, both for the filmi kids and rank outsiders, to get a break into films because there are so many hopefuls and only about 20 top producers. With millions of outsiders in the fray, you have to be just plain lucky to get a good project which showcases your talent, followed by lots of hard work."
Masand has the last word, "In a nutshell, of course, nepotism does exist. It exists in every industry and in every business. But in Bollywood, I would say, it exists to the extent that second-generation hopefuls get a foot in the door easier than outsiders. They have the contacts so they are considered for top projects before outsiders. Often, they land their debut films easier than a talented outsider might, but gone are the days when a star son could deliver eight flops and still get work. Nobody has the patience for that anymore. Not the audience, not the industry, and certainly not those who're funding these projects."
Arjun
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