Nepotism: Here to stay, so let's just move on

"It’s easy to resent those who chose their parents more wisely, but kvetching about it is almost as obnoxious."

No, these aren’t my words, but they do help put the whole fuss around nepotism that Indian film stars have kicked up into the right perspective. No one’s right: not those that complain of others being more privileged and definitely not those that chant “nepotism rocks” (this actually is in terrible taste).

Don’t we all watch out for our own? If your friend is the CEO of a tech firm and your daughter a young software engineer looking for a job, would you put in a good word or would you scour around to first check if someone else was more deserving? Even big corporates like to promote from within their ranks. See the Ambanis. Mukesh Ambani is chairman and CEO of the holding company founded by his father Dhirubhai. Mukesh's wife Nita sits on the board, while son Akash and daughter Isha are on the boards of the company's retail and telecom units. Away from home, there is Nike, where Travis Knight, son of co-founder Phil Knight, continues the family legacy with a seat on the board. The list goes on.

The same logic applies to the Indian film industry. They have each others’ backs. So there is a Karan Johar facilitating debuts of Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan or a Sanjay Leela Bhansali  launching Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. Then there is of course Salman Khan promoting his friends’ kids, like Sunil Shetty’s daughter or kids of Anil Kapoor's family. It’s really hard to penalize any of them, after all they are just being human (pun not intended).

But what is not hard to do is lose focus of the key takeaway by wasting time on low-level grouching about how these star kids have everything served up to them on a silver platter.

You see, family connections and money alone cannot ensure success. What it does is open doors, give an opportunity. Success needs more than that, it needs proof that you’re good, over and over and over again, and therein lies the biggest leveler. Alia Bhatt is a star in her own right, so is Ranbir Kapoor. And then there are those that have sucked, like Tushar Kapoor and Esha Deol (too early to make a call on Athiya Shetty). It’s a waste of time to argue if any of them would have been considered for a role if they were not who they are. The answer is maybe not. 

But how does that change life for the many aspiring performers who don’t have the benefit of a famous surname?

The key takeaway is that it doesn’t. 

But what can make a change is hard work. Again that is not enough, but that’s where one must start. Enjoy the craft, work hard but most importantly work smart. And that’s true for all business, including films in India. Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit and of course Kangana have all earned their fame. But don’t for a moment think their offsprings will not reap the benefits their surname brings. Make a promise instead to not grudge these kids for what they had no choice in.

You see, nepotism existed well before Kangana called Johar its flagbearer and will outlive all of us. Some are just born with the silver spoon. The rest of us will have to work that much harder to buy one and pass it down the generations.