A lot has been said about nepotism and Bollywood’s blatant endorsement of it. Many on social media believe that B-town has become a family-run business with little to no scope for outsiders. Our August cover star, Sidharth Malhotra is an exception to the rule. Ever since his SOTY days, Malhotra has bagged meaty roles and carved a niche for himself. On being asked about his insecurities and challenges as the ‘outsider’, this is what he had to say:

“I think even if you’re from a film family, eventually it’s a very performance-based profession. You can’t drive an audience to a theatre based on your family – either people accept you or they don’t. I think I can say that after working in the industry for a few years, the accepting phase is over. Now, its the performance phase – I need to ensure that my films are getting box-office numbers, and that I choose the right characters to portray, which I will be remembered for,” the actor said in an interview with MW’s Shweta Mehta Sen.

“This is something every actor faces, irrespective of their background – it’s more to do with our script choices than our families. We’re all working hard; I don’t know anyone who is taking it easy because of their background,” he added.