Why Is Nepotism So Prevalent In Bollywood?

When Kangana Ranaut was invited to Karan Johar’s Koffee with Karan, she very blatantly called Karan the “flag bearer of nepotism”. Although all this was in good fun, it did leave a remark that nepotism does exist in Bollywood. Having said that, it is not only a handful of people who try promoting their clan in the industry, rather the fashion exists throughout Showbiz.

Nepotism in Bollywood is not an aberration; it is sort of a norm. There is a good reason to call KJo the flag bearer of nepotism. After he launched stars like Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan among many other people. In fact, he already seems to have projects ready for tomorrow’s stars that include Saif Alia Khan’s daughter Sarah Ali Khan, Sridevi’s daughter Jhanvi Kapoor. He will most likely launch Shahrukh Khan’s kids too.

However, this post is not to talk of Johar. He is one of the greatest producers the industry has ever seen. The understanding of the filmy scenario he has is quite unparalleled. KJo simply understands that there was a system, established in Bollywood, much before he was born and that he has to follow it, albeit religiously: Kids of stars have the most exclusive rights to be stars.

(Image Courtesy: The Indian Express)

Here’s the fact: Bollywood essentially functions on nepotism. It is a norm in the industry. And, it would be absolutely wrong to restrict this fact only to Bollywood. Politics and other businesses also function on the same norm: the Gandhis, the Yadavs, the Paswans come to mind immediately. Down south, we have the Karunanidhi clan. We aren’t saying that every sector in India essentially functions on nepotism, but the signs point towards this very fact.

As soon as a child is born into a star family, the entire world gets ready to embrace them and hail them as the future of the Indian film industry. Everyone, from producers to PR representatives to the paparazzi line up to make sensations about the ‘star in the making.’ Take for instance, the pictures of Sarah Ali Khan and Jhanvi Kapoor in their ‘hot’ avatar that constantly makes rounds of the internet. There is no good reason that they should be in news, but they seem to be the news. Star families don’t mind that; after all, more publicity means more money.

(Image Courtesy: News18.com)

Having said that, it’s not like every star kid can match up to the levels of their previous generations. Abhishek Bachchan, Jacky Bhagwani come to the mind immediately. However, being a star kid surely helps one’s cause a lot. Remember how Dia Mirza and Kareena Kapoor entered the industry at the same time. While both of them had equally bad acting skills and gave one flop after the other, Kareena’s career seemed to go on. Whereas for Dia, well, she is hardly seen anywhere these days. Here’s the thing: Kareena Kapoor had a solid mechanism behind her that ensured that her film career doesn’t vanish with a whimper.

(Image Courtesy: Top Buzz)

However, sometimes, nothing can help you. Many star kids like Jacky Bhagnani, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi and Imran Khan among others have failed to leave any kind of an impact with their roles. They have been forgotten and for the good. Here’s the thing: being a star kid can be harsh at times. People start expecting a lot out of you and when they see that you were only hype and no substance, they tend to forget you quicker than ever.

But, if you look at the industry and remember the greatest stars that come to your mind, you’ll see that the biggest stars have always been ‘outsiders.’ Dilip Kumar was born in a family of humble belongings and was one of the 12 children his parents had. Upon moving to Mumbai, he made his career from scratch. Rajesh Khanna won a Talent Hunt organized by Filmfare, and that launched his film career. Akshay Kumar used to teach martial arts along with being a model. We all know about Shahrukh Khan. And Kangana Ranaut never had a big banner promoting her, yet she made her name amidst the greatest actresses of all time. 

(Image Courtesy: Bollywood Googly)

Bollywood, just like every other sector is a ‘dhanda.’ It is dominated by certain families, and these families make sure that their name and imprint remain in the industry for long. People talk of nepotism in Bollywood because it comes under the media light every day and has a lot of glamor attached to it. However, what people don’t talk about is that nepotism is the essential underpinning of every Indian sector.