Little did we knew that one sly comment by Kangana
Ranaut in an episode of Koffee With Karan season 5, will throw the
entire industry into a self-introspective mode, asking themselves this –
is Bollywood nepotistic?
Kangana Ranaut
had quipped on the show about Karan Johar, “In my biopic, if ever it’s
made, you’ll play that stereotypical Bollywood biggie, who is like you
know, very snooty and completely intolerant towards outsiders,
flag-bearer of nepotism, the movie mafia.” Karan Johar later accused
Kangana of playing the woman and victim card, and asked her to leave
Bollywood if she had so many issues with it. This led to Kangana
throwing more accusations of nepotism against Karan.
Unfortunately for her, none of the industrywallahs (quite
understandably) is willing to take her side. Star kids turned stars like
Varun Dhawan, Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhatt have defended Karan Johar, while
‘outsiders’ like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Swara Bhaskar have said they
haven’t faced problems with nepotism. Many people from the media,
however, stand by Kangana’s stance.
Now I am not going to take any kind of stance in this feature. I
agree that more and more star kids are being launched by the day, with
Karan himself is all set to launch Sara Ali Khan, Jhanvi Kapoor, Ishaan
Khattar, and probably, Aryan Khan in Bollywood. However, it is also a
fact that industry has also opened outsiders to make their paths and get
their moments to shine. The ones who have done this have even climbed
the numbers game and reached the top as well. So in this special
feature, let’s look at 11 stars who have come from a non-filmy
background, and yet made it to the top of the Bollywood game.
Shah Rukh Khan
Father’s profession: Businessman
Shah Rukh Khan is often considered as an ideal when it comes to
people referring to outsiders making it really big in the nepotistic
world of Bollywood. He is also one of the very few actors to have made a
very successful transition from television to cinema, and remain at the
top of the game, with no signs of slowing.
Akshay Kumar
Father’s profession: Indian army
It took him more than two decades to prove himself as one of the most
saleable stars in Bollywood today. But Akshay Kumar has shown many
youngsters that if you have the determination and the passion for your
work, success will eventually come to you, even if you have no
particular godfather.
Priyanka Chopra
Father’s profession: Doctor
If you end up being crowned a Miss India, Miss World or a Miss
Universe, it might get you easy access to enter the film industry. From
thereon it takes hard work and talent to get to the top of the game,
something Priyanka Chopra has shown us many times. From winning Miss
World to making her Hollywood debut with Baywatch, Priyanka has shown
the way to all the girls on how to climb the success ladder.
Deepika Padukone
Father’s profession: Professional badminton player
Prakash Padukone’s daughter started off as a popular supermodel, as
well as being a Kingfisher calendar girl. Then one smashing debut
opposite SRK pushed her right in spotlight. And now she is one of the
topmost heroines of Bollywood, and also the best in the business as
well, negating the adage about models can’t act.
Ranveer Singh
Father’s profession: Businessman
Sure, you can say he is related to Anil Kapoor’s family and that his
father had invested money in his debut movie, Band Baaja Baaraat, a fact
that no one has verified yet. But Ranveer Singh boasted none of that
when he came into the spotlight with his crackling performance in BBB.
And the matter that he is one of the most sought after actors in
Bollywood, shows that there is ample of talent in the lad. Someone has
to keep a check on his fashion sense, though.
Katrina Kaif
Father’s profession: Businessman
After her flop debut Boom, Salman Khan might have given her the push
to stardom with her next couple of movies. From thereon, it was the
right kind of movies and roles that brought Katrina Kaif right on top of
the game. Her acting skills still need polishing, and she can’t get rid
of her accent, and yet she is one of the most popular and in-demand
actresses around.
Anushka Sharma
Father’s profession: Indian army
She may have got a dream debut in a movie directed by Aditya Chopra
and starring opposite Shah Rukh Khan. But from thereon, it is Anushka
Sharma’s focus and passion that makes her so relevant in the rat race
called Bollywood. She was a part of two of the biggest blockbusters
(Sultan, PK) in Bollywood and she has also turned producer at this young
age. One of the finest talents around.
Sushant Singh Rajput
Father’s profession: Government officer
After SRK, Sushant Singh Rajput might be the only TV actor who can
put a claim on Bollywood superstardom. Right from his debut movie, Kai
Po Che, Sushant Singh Rajput has been delivering consistently good
performances, with MS Dhoni: The Untold Story being the highlight of his
career.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Father’s profession: Marine biologist
Though she is currently juggling between family responsibilities and
her Bollywood career, former Miss World used to rule the roost once with
some major blockbusters like Devdas, Dhoom 2 and Jodha Akbar.
Kangana Ranaut
Father’s profession: Businessman
The woman who started this whole nepotism debate. Kangana Ranaut’s
rise to stardom is enviable considering the fact, that she had avoided
working with the top three Khans, and yet managed to score some hits on
her own in Tanu Weds Manu franchise and Queen. She is also the only
actress in her generation to win three National Awards.
Vidya Balan
Father’s profession: Executive vice-president of Digicable
Vidya Balan has shown that domestic bliss shouldn’t stop you from
pursuing your career in Bollywood. The National award winner, who also
transitioned from television to silver screen, still gets author-backed
roles, and that’s a sign that Bollywood acknowledges her immense talent.