Speaking to journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, at the India Today Conclave, Kareena Kapoor stated that she does not believe nepotism exists in the industry at the forum entitled The Kapoor Clan: Films, Family, and Feminism. Following the debate and finger-pointing which engulfed the industry and heavily involved Kapoor’s husband, Saif Ali Khan, the statements make clear the star’s position on the issue. Her comments are stupid, offensive, and betray the bubble in which the fourth-generation member of the Kapoor clan exists in.
Kareena is definitely an able actress, in that she performs the roles demanded of her by the industry as well as needed by directors and the rapt movie-going audience. She has displayed versatility and greater finesse in her art as her career has gone on, progressing from a just a pretty face to an industry heavyweight in her own right.
However, it is simply insane for her to suggest that nepotism simply does not exist in the industry. She cites the pressure placed on star children and the failure of several film offspring to make it big despite their best efforts. What she omits to mention, or perhaps does not even personally process, is that each of these film scions who have faced pressure or petered out with lackluster careers have each been given the opportunity to launch a career in the first place.
The screen debut of the latest generation of a film dynasty is not only much-awaited, but indeed guaranteed should they desire to enter the industry. Yes, everybody uses connections to get ahead in this competitive world, but it is an insult to the scores of struggling artists sharing apartments and sacrificing their bodies to the gym or the plastic surgeon’s table to say that it all comes down to talent in the end.
Sure, nepotism has not been all bad. The reason why the Kapoor family has succeeded generation after generation is their consistent production of stars who we are more than willing to be entertained by. The introduction of another star kid into the fray is something that the public has accepted as simply the way the system works, and it is an insult to public intelligence for the industry to suggest that it does not look within their families first for talent.
Image credit: Screen grab
