Nepotism in Bollywood
Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely death and Kangana Ranaut’s claim on ‘favouritism’ in the Indian Film Industry has driven the audience into a frenzy and sparked a wide debate on the existence of nepotism in Bollywood. I have had plenty of time to retrospect in this matter and hence am bringing my personal opinion to you.
The 'Nepotism debate' as netizens call it has had successful film directors like Karan Johar,
Mahesh Bhatt and Ekta Kapoor under the spotlight. They have become victims of
bullying and social media harassment because according to the popular public
opinion they practice nepotism i.e. They prefer star kids over individuals who
do not have strong contacts in the film industry. Even talented actors like
Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan have
become victims of bullying to an extent that the only option that remained with
them was to disable the comment section on their social media handles.
In simple words, nepotism is the practice of
favouring and employing relatives or friends. The term nepotism is not only
limited to 'talent-driven' spaces like cinema but in ground reality, is openly
followed in corporations without much criticism.
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Source- The Guardian |
When it
comes to Bollywood, the only things that set you apart in this rat race are
your talent and most importantly luck. It is human nature and basic social
practice which is followed everywhere in the world, to favour friends and
relatives for jobs and other roles. However, before claiming that nepotism
exists only in cinema we must not forget that the same industry provided a fair
opportunity to a talented theatre artist from Delhi, who is the king of
Bollywood Shah rukh Khan. Film directors like Karan Johar teamed up with actors
like Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Kajol to bring to Hindi cinema,
exceptional movies that still rule our hearts (talking about some childhood gems). Kangana Ranaut herself made her
mark in this talent-driven industry when she was given numerous breaks by
Mahesh Bhatt. We know of Rajiv Bhatia, formerly a waiter who now happens to be
a versatile actor known to deliver all his roles with perfection, Yes we are
talking about Akshay Kumar.
Versatile
actors like Ayushmann Khurrana, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee, Kartik
Aaryan, Rajkummar Rao, Irrfan Khan, Tapsee Pannu, Priyanka Chopra, Bhumi
Pednekar, Madhuri Dixit and even Vidya Balan, just to name a few have made it
big in cinema purely because of their talent and dedication. If the nepotism
that we talk about really existed in Bollywood, we would have never been able
to witness these gems act on the silver screen.
Talking
about filmmakers who have given opportunities to their extended family and
friends, there is nothing wrong in providing every individual with a fair
chance to prove themselves. Actors like Saif Ali Khan, Alia Bhatt, Salman Khan,
Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan have delivered
exceptional performances because of their talent and not their bloodline.
Hence, in a talent-driven industry which we know of as The Indian cinema it is wrong to
claim that because of nepotism, pure talent is being suppressed.
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