Nepotism” is the practice of favouritism based on kinship. The word finds its origins from the Italian nipote, whichmeans nephew. It was first used in the context of bishops granting favours to their “nephews”, who were often their illegitimate sons. The preferential treatment could range from bequeathing jobs, wealth, property, or even priesthood upon them. ‘Cold and ruthless’, ‘cruel’, ‘an outsider will always feel like an outsider’, ‘shallow industry’ and ‘a hypocritical society.’ No, these aren’t the words I am using for Bollywood, these are the words used by the very members of the film fraternity in the past few days.
As people mourn the death of 34-year-old actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the debate on how ‘Bollywood is a cruel place’ has come back to the limelight.This created an uproar on Twitter. The social media saw trending hashtages like #NepotismBollywood, #BollywoodBlockedSushant, #MafiaBuisness, #JusticeForSushantSinghRajput, #KaranJoharIsBULLY and many more. Nepotism isn’t new in the film industry. But rarely do big names touch upon the subject. And when they do, it sets tongues wagging. That’s what happened when actor Kangana Ranaut recently labelled filmmaker Karan Johar the ‘flag bearer of nepotism’
Well, often, people try to seal your fate when they say things like: “Oh! Your father is a business man, tera toh sab set hai, tujhe kya tension”, or “you are good in studies because your mother is a teacher”, or “you score well because you know the questions that will be asked in the exam”.The same is the case with star kids, when we just predict “inka toh set hai, actor hi banenge, ya producer”. We do feel the stress when, as a teacher’s kid, we don’t score well in exams, or choose to take up a job instead of continuing with the family business. For star kids, the pressure must be a lot worse.The other side of the picture is just how hard it is for an outsider to make it in Bollywood. You might have spent countless hours dreaming about working with your favourite actors or directors, but you can’t just walk up to them and ask for work. In fact, even meeting them is an uphill task. These struggles can easily leave one feeling defeated and embittered.
I feel destiny also plays a pivotal role. Filmdom has been kind enough to many actors, who did not have godfathers in films but had talent, which, when combined with luck, helped them in fetching not only work, but also immeasurable love and adulation from the audience. To name only a few such: Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irrfan Khan, Rajkumar Rao and Rajpal Yadav.Since his first movie, Shah Rukh Khan has successfully carved a niche among viewers both in and outside India. He has been enjoying the tag of King Khan of Bollywood for many years.Our favourite Bhaijaan Salman Khan is loved, admired, and idolised by many. But his brothers Sohail Khan and Arbaaz Khan are barely considered actors.
It surely must be nice to be on friendly terms with the big stars of the country, enjoy all the media and public attention, and have a reliable person (parent, sibling) launching and managing my career. The father-son duo of Sunil Dutt and Sanjay Dutt have enjoyed their own share of success, but Sanjay’s involvement in drugs, a ‘Casanova’ image, and his role in the Mumbai blasts case always troubled the his father, the late Sunil Dutt. Another father-son duo, Dharmendra and Sunny Deol, have enjoyed a lot of adulation from the audience. But Dharam ji’s second son, Bobby Deol, who undoubtedly ruled the silver screen for some years, later turned alcoholic and eventually fell into depression after not getting work for many years. After a long break, Bobby Deol was recently seen in the multi-starrer Race 3.Dharmendra and Hema Malini’s daughter Esha Deol, and Jeetendra aka Jumping Jack’s son Tusshar Kapoor, could never really taste success, despite their illustrious parents.However, it would also mean being under scrutiny 24*7, with constant comparisons with my more famous kin.
Not all filmmakers choose actors on the basis of their surname. Director Vishal Bhardwaj, has roped in Dangal star Sanya Malhotra, TV actor Radhika Madan and comedian Sunil Grover in the lead roles for his forthcoming release Pataakha.However, it is equally true that many people get fame and visibility only because of their famous family members. What is Shweta Bachchan’s identity apart from being Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan’s daughter and Abhishekh’s sister? The lady recently got to feature alongside her father in an advertisement for Kalyan Jewellers. Who is Mira Rajput? The lady is hogging all media limelight for being Shahid Kapoor’s wife, and has recently debuted as a new face for an Olay advertisement.
This is a never ending debate: Those who are making it big without godfathers are setting an example that nobody can stop talent from shining through. Those who are born with a silver spoon, meanwhile, have to bear the brunt if they fail to shine on the silver screen.
The debate of talent Vs privilege has been a contentious one.But the issue will remain just a ‘buzzword’ if the fraternity doesn’t stand up for what’s right and wrong. As filmmaker Anubhav Sinha says, ‘the Bollywood Privilege Club must sit down and think hard.’
Eduindex News 