The nepotism debate in Bollywood has seen arguments from both insiders and outsiders. Star kids like Janhvi Kapoor have acknowledged their privileged background and actors without ‘filmy connections’ like Kalki Koechlin have stated that they are happy being outsiders. On this topic, Hindustan Times quoted Shreyas Talpade saying,
“Nepotism and favouritism are here to stay. But we can’t just focus on that while moving ahead. At least I don’t want to. I’ve never done a Karan Johar or a Yash Raj film, I’ve never approached them, nor have they showed interest in working with me. But that doesn’t make me any less an actor. It also doesn’t mean the end of my career.”
Speaking about his future goals he added, “Now I want to work with Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, too. But then I’ll only work with them in opportunities where I’m equally respected because I deserve that for the hard work I’ve been putting in, in my work.”
“My days of struggle when I didn’t have money to pay rent, buy a sandwich, or take a bus to the studio, made me even stronger. Industry kids would never know how it feels to do everything on your own. Let them have their privileges. I feel sorry they don’t have a beautiful journey like we do.”
He concluded saying that even though star kids get more opportunities in the beginning, it is talent and hard work that helps an actor sustain in the industry. “We all know it but take time to accept it. The sooner we do, the saner we become.”
What a refreshing take that focuses on the journey rather than the destination.