A new Netflix production reignites nepotism debate in India

A new Netflix production reignites nepotism debate in India

The argument that the Bollywood ‘star kids’ are having it easy is back in Indian media, but some prominent film critics see the issue entirely differently.

India’s film industry is once again facing criticism for enabling nepotism as the upcoming teenage-love film, The Archies, released its promo, featuring the children of some of Bollywood's top stars in lead roles. 

India

The debate in India is hot, with critics arguing that the culture of nepotism in Bollywood continues to provide career launchpads to the kids of some of Bollywood’s biggest names. 

The Archies is a desi musical adaptation of the famous comic by the same name that revolves around the lives of a group of white teenagers. 

The film, which is slated to be released on Netflix next year, is directed by Zoya Akhtar, an acclaimed director who has previously dazzled audiences with blockbuster films like Gully Boy. 

The cast includes Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor in lead roles — all three making their debut alongside other young actors.  

Khan is the daughter of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Nanda’s grandfather is another cinema bigwig, Amitabh Bachchan. Both Shah Rukh and Bachchan are living legends who have scores of blockbusters to their names, including Sholay and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Each one has over 40 million Twitter followers and millions of fans spread across India, Pakistan and other parts of the world.

Kapoor is the daughter of the late actress Sridevi, who ruled the screens throughout the 1980s and 1990s. 

“It should be called ‘The Multiverse of Nepotism’,” someone tweeted soon after Akhtar shared a teaser of The Archies. 

Many people on social media dubbed the cast “nepotism kids,” arguing that the film is being used to introduce blue-eyed actors while thousands of artists with years of theatre experience are still waiting to get a break in Bollywood. 

Directors cast big names because they guarantee a good turnout at theatres, says Amborish Roychoudhury, the author of In a Cult of Their Own, a book on famous Bollywood movies. 

“I was in my early 20s when the movie Refugee was released. Me, my friends and so many others went in droves to watch it because Abhishek Bachchan was debuting and we were all like ‘Oh that’s Amitabh Bachchan’s son’,” he tells TRT World. 

“That’s how the audience perceives star kids. People just want to see them on the screen.”

trt world