In the aftermath of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, the ‘nepotism’ topic has been revived again and everyone’s pointing out the good and the bad of it.
However, filmmaker R Balki of ‘Pad Man’ and ‘Cheeni Kum’ fame is of the opinion that nepotism and talent should not be mixed.
Talking to Hindustan Times, he opened up on the nepotism debate. Citing the example of Ambanis, Bajajs and Mahindras – he stated that it’s undeniable that nepotism happens everywhere, in every strata of the society. And thus, it’s a foolish argument.
“Does anyone say ‘No I don’t think Mukesh Ambani shouldn’t run this business, someone else should?’ In every strata of the society, it happens, even a driver or a vegetable seller passes on businesses to their children. So, it’s a foolish argument. Remember we live in a free society.”
Elaborating further, he acknowledged that while star kids have the advantage, some actors like Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt also had the talent to match. R Balki felt using words like nepotism against talented actors was unfair.
“The question is do the star kids have an unfair or bigger advantage? Yes, there are pros and cons. But I’d ask one simple question: Find me a better actor than Alia or Ranbir and we’ll argue. It’s unfair on these few people who’re probably some of the finest actors.”
The Director also commented that while audiences don’t like talentless actors, sometimes they also want to see star kids on screen. He added that after the first chance, an actor needs to survive on their own.
“Understand that audiences don’t like actors without talent. Sometimes, they also want to see star kids on screen. That’s only the first chance that you get, and then one needs to survive on their own.”
Though the filmmaker agreed that it’s difficult for an outsider to enter the film industry, he insisted that talent gets the opportunity.
“I agree it’s far more difficult for an outsider to make an entry in films, but talent gets the opportunity.”
R Balki concluded by saying that while considering casting for a film, he only looked at – ‘who is best suited for the role’ and the ‘person’s availability’ and nothing else.