13 Bollywood Celebrities Who Openly Spoke About Nepotism And Revealed How It Impacted Them

Bollywood usually keeps the conversations around the N-word hush-hush. Nepotism exists in all industries and professions, and not just Bollywood, but the industry often becomes the eye of the storm causing an uproar in the nation every now and then.

While a lot of star kids including Sara Ali Khan, Ananya Panday and Janhvi Kapoor have easy launchpads and several chances, there are other people like Uday Chopra, Tanishaa Mukerji, Shamita Shetty, Adhyayan Suman and Sikander Kher among others for whom the bloodline formula didn¡¯t really work out well.

Here¡¯s what Bollywood celebrities said about whether or not nepotism exists in the industry, and how it impacts the fraternity.

1. Emraan Hashmi said he wouldn't be an actor if nepotism didn¡¯t exist.

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Emraan Hashmi says he is a product of nepotism. For the unversed, his uncle Mahesh Bhatt launched him in 2003 with the film Footpath. He says he wouldn¡¯t have been an actor if nepotism didn¡¯t exist.

¡°Yes, nepotism exists in our industry, and I got a break because of it. If my uncle (Mahesh Bhatt), who is a producer and director hadn¡¯t been there, I wouldn¡¯t have been an actor," he told Hindustan Times in an interview.

2. Ayushmann Khurrana said he would have made his debut at the age of 22 if nepotism didn¡¯t exist.

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Ayushmann Khurrana who formed a niche audience for himself after years of struggle said he would have made his debut at the age of 22 if nepotism didn¡¯t exist.

¡°My debut, Vicky Donor, was when I was 27. If I was a star kid, it would've been 22. I don't think the difference of five years would've affected much. I think I was a much more mature actor at 27," he told Huffpost in an interview.

3. Rajkummar Rao says he has ¡°to see non-talented people in films because of nepotism.¡±

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Rajkummar Rao who has carved his own niche with his versatile roles earlier said that he is forced to see non-talented actors because of nepotism.

¡°Favouritism is there of course, it is present everywhere, so it is fine. But my only concern is when because of favouritism I have to see non-talented people in films. That is a problem for me.

¡°I want to see talent on screen. I don¡¯t care where they come from or which family they belong to. There are actors like Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, they are such talented people working in the film industry,¡± he told PTI.

4. Kangana Ranaut said 'star kids already start from a point where they have everything'.

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The nepotism debate in Bollywood gained prominence after Kangana Ranaut called Karan Johar ¡°flag bearer of nepotism¡± on his chat show. The incident created a furore in the industry. Since then the discussions on the topic have never died.

¡°Do these Bollywood kids know that it takes almost 10 years to build an audience and to get a critic. These star kids already start from a point where they have everything and they are not aware of the fact that for an outsider, it can take his entire lifetime to reach the starting point,¡± she said on a chat show while speaking to Anupam Kher.

5. Ananya Panday said 'it¡¯s easy to get your first film.'

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Ananya Panday who made her debut with Student Of The Year 2 admits star kids get the privilege.

¡°I feel like it's easy to get your first film but after that sustaining is the tough part... talent really speaks at the end of the day," she told Hindustan Times.

6. Kriti Sanon was replaced by a star kid.

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Kriti Sanon in an interview with Pinkvilla had revealed that she was once replaced by a star kid. Talking about how nepotism has affected her career, Kriti who made her debut in the 2014 film Heropanti, said, ¡°If I had been from a film family, I would not have to reach out (to directors).

About getting replaced in a film, she said, ¡°I don't know if they dialed the phone or not, but someone, who was from a film family or there was a little more buzz about that person, had replaced me. So yes, it's happened but I don't know the reason behind it. The director might have genuinely wanted that person. It has happened a few times.¡±

7. Taapsee Pannu was allegedly kicked out of a film without being given a reason.

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Taapsee Pannu, who is known for doing responsible cinema, had once said that she lost roles for not being so and so's daughter.

"It is not a shocker to me that a film went out of my hands, not because I was not credible, but because I was not so-and-so's daughter or sister or dating so-and-so," Taapsee Pannu told PTI. "I used the same hand to pat my back and to pick me up when I get shattered after losing out on a film due to reasons except your credibility to that role," the 30-year-old actress added.

In another interview, she said she has accepted it as a rule of the game. "I have stopped looking at it like a victim. I have accepted it as a rule of the game and I am trying to make my way despite the hurdle which is what I'm doing," she told Pinkvilla.

She was once replaced overnight without being given a reason. She had claimed she was kicked out of Pati Patni Aur Woh without being given a reason. ¡°I assumed I was the first choice since the director had narrated the script to me first. After moving my dates around, it would¡¯ve been better had they told me first, instead of finding it out from others. This is disheartening. I deserve an answer,¡± she told Mumbai Mirror.

Director Juno Chopra and producer Bhushan Kumar on the other hand said that she was never finalised for the role and that they were only considering her.

8. Surveen Chawla was once replaced by a star kid.

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Surveen Chawla who has worked in movies like Hate Story 2 and web-shows like Sacred Games, had once revealed to Hindustan Times about being dropped from a film because the makers decided to rope in a star kid.

¡°I was not scared even though I had left TV at the peak of my career. But in the middle of this transition, when I was stepping up, I was thrown back down. For what reason? The question is not of my talent, but about somebody who had better contacts; that's it. It took me sometime to come out of it, but then other things happened, and it instilled confidence back in me," she told Hindustan Times.

9. Siddhant Chaturvedi said star kids faced lesser difficulties in comparison to self-made actors.

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Siddhant Chaturvedi who shot to fame with his role of MC Sher in Gully Boy made it clear that star kids face lesser difficulties in comparison to self-made actors.

¡°Jahaan humaare sapne poore hote hai, waha inke struggle shuru hote hai,¡± he said in response to Ananya on nepotism in a roundtable interview.

10. Ranbir Kapoor said 'of course nepotism exists'.

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Ranbir Kapoor not only accepts that nepotism exists in the film industry, he also admits that he is a beneficiary. He told comedy collective AIB, ¡°I am a 'disarming' product of it. Of course it exists.¡±

¡°My great-grandfather worked hard so that he could give his children the opportunity to do something in life. So on and so forth and it came to me. When I have children, I would like them to have that opportunity and then see how good they are,¡± he added.

11. Alia Bhatt said her ¡®connection to the family has made things easy¡¯.

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Alia Bhatt admitted that the concept of nepotism operates in Bollywood. She said it was natural for outsiders to get dejected if they don't get that one shot that they deserve to show their talent.

¡°I wanted to be here (in films), this was my dream. My connection to the family has made things easy for me. Nepotism exists. It exists in Bollywood, the business world and during admissions in schools as well,¡± she said at an event as quoted by PTI.

In another interview to Indian Express, she said she would have been heartbroken if she was on the other side of it. ¡°If I was on the other side, I would be heartbroken.¡±

12. Karan Johar said nepotism exists in all industries.

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Karan Johar, who is the son of Hiroo Johar and the producer Yash Johar, founder of Dharma Productions, once said, ¡°It seems like we are criminals. It's like everywhere we are slapped with legal notices as we are children of parents who are within the film industry."

13. Swara Bhasker said that 'Bollywood is based on relationships'.

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Swara Bhasker, who has done films like Tanu Weds Manu, Nil Battey Sannata, Anaarkali of Aarah and Veere Di Wedding among others, once said, "Bollywood as an industry is based on relationships, it has always been star-driven and it has an element of feudalism. So, it would be difficult for an outsider but my experience of Bollywood is not nepotistic at all," she told PTI.

At the same time, let's remember that if you're really talented and hardworking, you can make it big as an outsider do. Many actors like Ayushmann and Vicky Kaushal are great example of this.