An open letter: The Bachchans ladies on cover-Nepotism, moi?

An ardent follower of Pinkvilla and Bollywood has penned an open letter about his thoughts on Bollywood's most talked about topic these days - Nepotism. Have a dekko and let us know if you agree!

Like most of you, I sat up and took notice of a recent magazine cover because of the three women who featured in it: The Bachchan Women: Jaya, Shweta, and Navya. There may be a few power families in Bollywood today', said the magazine, but there's none quite like the Bachchans'. This month', it declared, we give you a sneak peek into the lives of three of the women from the family: Jaya Bachchan, Shweta Bachchan Nanda and Navya Naveli Nandaand the bond between the three generations of this iconic household.'

Now before I proceed to say my piece, I'd like to make clear that of course I do not know any of these women personally. Not even a friend of theirs, or a friend of a friend, or a friend of a friend of someone who is in their employ. I look at them just like most of you do: on up-market television shows hosted by friends or friends of the family, magazine covers edited by friends or friends of the family, or as they attend events hosted by..well you get the picture.

And as I read those words again, Three generations of this iconic household', I get taken back to that news report of the younger Miss. Nanda preparing to attend the Bal des dbutantes in Paris that brings together', according to the report, twenty five girls from renowned, and often famous families'. In that video, she speaks sweetly, and confidently, like only a girl of her class and wealth can, about practising to walk on a pair of heels, and getting her make-up done, and dressed by the House of Dior, no less. It's all quite lovely, she says, and it is, I agree, quite lovely, except, I can't help but wonder: What is it that she and her family represent? What part of this Bollywood Dynasty Girl', and the other women of her dynasty of repute do we find so interesting?

At this point, I should confess having become bewitched by Miss Nanda's aunt, Aishwarya Rai, at a very young age, before I knew much about much at all. And I think we can just about agree that hers is a singular case of just how high a place a woman's beauty- more than any of her other qualities- can take her; and it isn't the Nandita Das kind of beauty, not the Konkona Sen kind of beauty, not even the Vidya Balan kind of beauty, but the pale-skinned, light-eyed, ethnically-ambiguous, twinkle-tongued, diamond-mannered beauty that she had been bestowed with, and has cultured carefully since. And guess what, I find myself thinking, even this woman hasn't been able to penetrate the heart of The Family' that has let itself graciously to be put on display on this cover.

And I can only apologise for bringing up that dreaded word, again: Nepotism.

Well Kal Ho Na Ho: Remember that film? There was New York City, the exotic setting, of course. And remember that moment when Uday Chopra drops in, and goes out on his way again? He must've, I assumed, been hanging out in New York, with his friends in the cast and crew of this film, because a man of his wealth can afford to do that. And I think of this cover story where Miss Nanda talks of her own life in NYC. And then of that scene from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham's deleted reel where Abhishek Bachchan drops in, in a scene shot in England, because you know, a man of his powers can.

And therein lies my problem with Nepotism in Bollywood: As long as our films are made by these people, that live the lives they live, wearing Couture, attending weddings abroad and parties at the Ambanis', it is their view of life alone that we shall see on our screens; a life so far away from the one we actually live; a life that is far removed from our struggles, our emotions, our bonds, and our relationships. As long as these people populate the magazines and the media that get put in front of us to look at with longing, their berth of social class will stay preserved, and untouched, and we'll aspire for something that we could, try as we may, never quite break into; the class, that not so long ago, sold our freedom to the British in exchange of self-reservation and kids sent to Oxbridge because it thought it had more in common with their ruling class than the people of it's own colour and country.

And as long as, I believe, we revere them simply for being born into their families, we shall by and large carry on seeing on our screens couples that ask each other: Are you Business-Class-Wealthy or Private-Jet-Wealthy', while for most of us, the first trip on an aeroplane is still, an event of a lifetime. Because there *is* such a thing as the Bollywood Mafia, it's bonds of prestige unspoken of, and it would carry on looking inward, and create opportunities, and wealth, for its own elite members, while giving us a brief peek into its world every now and then, to keep us, the masses, satiated, but soon longing for more.

And finally, I remember the actor Jake Gyllenhaal quoting his father in a recent interview to Anupama Chopra, that the job of cinema is to comfort the disturbed, and to disturb the comfortable'. And *this* is something these insiders can do, having been soaked in it's essence from birth. But all they seem to be doing for now, is to comfort the comfortable and disillusion the disturbed.