New Delhi: Renowned Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan recently re-ignited the nepotism debate in the film industry. The year-old actor, who last graced the big screens in Om Raut’s debacle Adipurush, not only openly defended the star kids but also claimed that it’s the media & public who are always obsessed with them.
Making a strong point against those who accuse the B-town actors of nepotism, Saif said that it is the star kids’ frenzy amongst the fans that makes outsiders in the film industry feel neglected.
For the uninitiated, it was Kangana Ranaut who initially triggered the nepotism debate in 2016 by calling Karan Johar a ‘flagbearer of nepotism’ while gracing the couch of his popular talk show Koffee with Karan.
Saif Ali Khan on Nepotism in Bollywood
Speaking of the star kids’ craze amongst the audience with Film Companion, Saif cited an example of The Archies & highlighted how the masses are only concerned about the performance of star kids’ while completely ignoring the other kids who also made their debut with the movie.
Notably, The Archies director Zoya Akhtar also raised the same point a few days back & showcased her disappointment with the audience completely focusing on Star Kids & sidelining the rest child actors in the film.
The veteran actor even gave the example of his kids (Taimur and Jeh) & pointed out how the shutterbugs always keep clicking their pictures. He said, “They’re constantly being photographed, constantly being followed. Tomorrow, if someone wants to make a movie with one of them, it’s not rocket science. Because someone would be thinking of their popularity. So we have to decide why this attention and where it comes from.”
Press makes the Star Kids
Blaming media and paps for making the ‘star kids’ Saif further spoke about his son Taimur’s taekwondo video & highlighted how the photographers made it go viral on the internet within no time.
“We don’t want that kind of attention. We don’t make the star kid. I mean, we might make it biologically, but what makes the star kid is the press, the photographers, and then the audience. Perhaps they just want to innocently see the star kid. So why is this such a huge deal?”, the actor added.
Meanwhile, Saif Ali Khan is all set to grace the screen with Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor in Koratala Siva’s upcoming Telugu actioner Devara. The movie will hit the big screens on April 5, 2024.