Bollywood Nepotism Debate: Heeramandi, Sharmin Segal, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali |

Nepotism in Bollywood has lengthy been a subject matter of blazing debate. The trade, recognized for its dynasties and influential households, has ceaselessly confronted backlash for perpetuating inequality and restricting alternatives for outsiders. Age some argue that nepotism is a herbal aftereffect of community lineage, others condemn it as unjust and destructive to meritocracy. The problem received important consideration following controversies involving superstar youngsters and their privileged get admission to to alternatives.
A from the day
Again in 2017, when Kangana Ranaut graced the sofa of Koffee with Karan, she had addressed the topic of preferential remedy and tagged Karan because the flag-bearer of nepotism.The seeming reference being that the filmmaker typically introduced handiest superstar youngsters. Years then, Karan Johar expressed that he has ‘grown to just accept’ the trolling and that “Nepotism made me a jaani dushman”.
Sharing his ideas at the matter, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt says, “The word nepotism was coined as a tool to bring the mighty Bollywood industry to its knees. And of course, there are innumerable hungry, shame-hungry, adulation-seeking young people. India is a young country, they’re all there. So, this kind of labeling appeals to them.”
Bollywood’s most recent tryst with nepotism
Heeramandi arrived on OTT this month, bringing along its opulent sets, archaic vibe, a fervour of patriotism, poignant literature and a hornet’s nest of nepotism which was waiting to be stirred! Sharmin Seghal, who essayed one of the central characters was critiqued for lack of expressions and trolled for the sole reason that she was the director’s niece. She had literally the whole of Heeramandi (read: cast) rallying in defense… but the damage was done and the audience had figured SLB’s nepotistic move!
Did you know nepotism features in Heeramandi’s Shahi Mahal too?
Interestingly, the crux of Heeramandi also toed the line of nepotism… with Manisha Koirala aka Mallika Jaan being eager for her own daughter, Alamzeb, to inherit the status of the Huzur (chief courtesan) of Shahi Mahal. But beyond the screens, this debate has made trolls question a maverick filmmaker like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s vision and shred down a performance, bit by bit. Looks like SLB may not have planned this free ride for his series, but nothing escapes the audiences.

Is it right to question the vision of a seasoned filmmaker?
Not just Sharmin, but even Sanjay Leela Bhansali is being questioned for his judgment of casting his niece, who happens to be an actor, in Heeramandi. While appreciating that the power to make or break a star lies with the audience, Mahesh Bhatt quips that a filmmaker should not be shamed! “Filmmakers may give an opportunity to those from their own fraternity or bloodline. Yes, access is success and the debate will go on till the cows come home. But according to me, a person who really has star material will somehow pave his way to the top, the industry is full of glorious accounts of people who came from no backgrounds with no godfathers. So to reduce this debate into absolute yes or no is childish. When you isolate an incident like this and go deep down to tear apart a filmmaker of repute who has a glorious track record of getting the best out of the actors, then you do a lot of harm by brushing everybody in one stroke,” says Bhatt, whose daughter Alia confronted a bundle of backlash next she used to be introduced by means of Karan Johar.
Nepo babies take it all!
As much as the industry may try to deny the existence of nepotism, the outsiders, who have faced the brunt, will never shy away from revealing the truth. Kriti Sanon, who won a national award for her performance, had once revealed how she fell prey to the favoritism in Bollywood as she was replaced by a star kid in a project. While Rajkummar Rao also faced a similar predicament when he was replaced due to nepotism. “I used to be meant to do a movie, however later all at once I used to be now not in that movie in a single day. Any person who is understood and took place to be a celebrity child were given that section. I my thoughts I believe it used to be now not truthful. Simply because you’ll be able to regulate issues, community, you’ll be able to create some cries, it’s being unfair,” the actor shared in a contemporary dialog.
In a contrasting view, filmmaker Aditya Chopra addressed the topic right through a docu-series and made an instance out of his personal brother Uday Chopra’s unsuccessful occupation. “One of the things that people tend to ignore, is that every person who comes from a privileged background–everyone is not successful. I can articulate it without mentioning other people. I can just articulate it mentioning my own family. My brother is an actor, and he’s not a very successful actor. Here is the son of one of the biggest filmmakers. He’s the brother of a very big filmmaker. Imagine a company like YRF who has launched so many newcomers, we could not make him a star. Why could we not do it for our own? The bottom line is, only an audience will decide ‘I like this person, I want to see this person’. No one else,” Aditya had shared.
Is a red carpet rolled out to cast star kids?
Zoya Akhtar roped in the most prominent and influential star kids for her movie ‘The Archies’, but it didn’t land as expected. The star parents were gung-ho about the debut and the industry was raving, but decoding why the movie failed to woo the audience is a story for another day. However, bringing together such a precious ensemble is a task in itself. We asked Vicky Sidana, the man behind the cast of films like ‘Baby’ and ‘Bodyguard’, if star kids are given a priority by filmmakers? He opines, “There is no pressure or preferential treatment as such, because everyone gives auditions. Big stars have the money but they always call if their kid can audition for a particular project.” Audition or now not, superstar youngsters are already driving at the coattails in their well-known households, once they come to a decision to embark into movies. “That’s true, when a star kid is cast, the curiosity for the project automatically increases. It does make a difference because everyone wants to know how Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter will work or how Sunny Deol’s son looks onscreen,” provides Vicky.
Advertising and marketing made simple, occupation made tricky!
Stating one of the crucial largest benefits of casting a celebrity child, Vicky quips, “It becomes easy for marketing when you cast a star kid because there is no denying that their name adds value to the project.”
Giving an perception concerning the metrics, business analyst Komal Nahta provides, “The tag makes things easy. The marketing budget, which is costly these days, doesn’t depend on the star it is showcasing. In fact, the producers benefit since the project is spoken about a lot because of the star kid, plus the publicity happens on a lesser budget. But finally, if a film doesn’t work, it is not because of its star, but because of its own merit. Because the person buying the ticket is looking for entertainment.”

The trade rallies for skill
Right through the continuing nepotism debate, the trade has vigorously defended itself, highlighting circumstances of superstar youngsters who’ve gained negative familial assistance. Alternatively, the web extra unmoved by means of this argument. Nepotism would possibly do business in somebody an preliminary alternative, however past that, it’s both a crippled occupation or a blockbuster era. Supporting the concept, Bhatt says, “There are all kinds of people in the film industry who go out of their way to look for new people, right? And I’ve done that all my life. I’ve gone out of my way to cast people from diverse backgrounds. I personally feel that the discussion needs to be going on because the proximity of a star child will give him several advantages.”
“Look at Salman Khan. He was not cast by Salim Khan at any stage. Salman Khan never got work because Salim Saab lobbied for him. Salman created his own way. So, the answer is, should they do it or not? Why not, is my answer,” questions the filmmaker. Hoping for the trial to conclude, Mahesh Bhatt asserts, “I think the debate has served its purpose, now it’s a rubbed coin.”