Did nepotism take a backseat in Bollywood in 2014?

That the journey of Bollywood wannabes is not all rosy is well known In fact it is tumultuous rife with struggles and setbacks But then those with the right surname often have it easy in an industry that is no stranger to nepotism mdash relegating talent to secondary positionFrom left Shashank Agrawal Sanntosh Kumar Shivam Sood Hansal Mehta Mukesh Chhabra Tiger Shroff Sabbir Khan Tahir Raj Bhasin Nitin Kakkar and Ali Fazal at midday office for a discussion on nepotism in the film industry PicsSatyajit DesaiHowever with this year largely proving fruitful for strugglers hitlist invited a few filmmakers freshfaced actors strugglers and a casting director for a discussion on fading favouritism in BTown Excerpts Q How difficult is it for an outsider to make a foray into BollywoodAli Fazal I had done a couple of plays in school While pursuing higher studies in Mumbai I was signed on for a small role in 3 Idiots I wouldnt say it is easy for someone like Tiger Shroff Alia Bhatt or Varun Dhawan because after a point it is all about your talent Tahir Raj Bhasin The only difference between a star kid and an industry outsider is that the latter has to start with smaller rolesHansal Mehta fifth from right makes a point as the others listen inQ How long did it take you to get that roleTahir About a year and half However I agree that star kids dont need to wait for their first film but after that their talent has to do all the talking No matter what your background is you cant force the audience to buy a ticket of your film unless they want to watch you Besides your first film may not be a big launchpad and you might have to be satisfied by doing smaller roles and it is the actors choice what root he takes I chose to skip the tube and stuck to smaller roles in films after which I got my big break In Mardaani I played the antagonist which is not considered an ideal start but it works Actually you never know what works I do not know whether Ali has a formula Ali No I dont Many people praised Fukrey but I personally feel my role was quite boring I was frustrated as I had to play a serious guy in a comedy film Shah Rukh once told me that it is harder to do commercial cinema and overactHansal Mehta and Tiger Shroff take a selfieQ Doesnt a bigger banner featuring a star kid garner more publicityHansal Mehta I dont think so For me it would be a burden to be a successful actors son but there are two sides to the same coin To make your first foray into films is very difficult I have managed to stay afloat for the last 18 years being an outsider There is opportunity everywhere but the weight of expectations on my son for example would be high because his work will be compared to his fathers body of work Eventually it would become a level playing field depending on the choices you make and the choices placed before you I began with a food show because I had no other choiceAli Fazal left and Tahir Raj BhasinQ Do you think desperation leads one to make the wrong choicesHansal I dont agree To keep going is important because at times we especially outsiders fall prey to a sort of victim mentality Struggle is not confined to the industry Tiger Shroff may have a slightly bigger film but he is carrying someones huge investment on his shoulders whereas Rajkummar Rao doesnt Tiger True it is easier for us to get the initial push and get in touch with bigger filmmakers and banners At the same time the set expectations build pressure on us Your film doesnt do well if you are a stars sonQ Dont they keep getting opportunities even if they dont do wellHansal None except Abhishek Bachchan has got so many chances Many star kids have failed and disappeared after being launched Nitin Kakkar When I saw Tiger onscreen I was blown away He has worked so hardhellipQ Does it have anything to do with the hype that was created before his launchNitin Yes but that would have backfired if he was not good enough Sabbir Khan Hype is created only if something is exciting enough Now that casting directors are given more importance we are in a space where filmmakers want the right person for every role Tiger I never wanted to be an actor but I do now I used to harbour aspirations of being a nationallevel sportsperson but that did not work out Academically I wasnt qualified for anything So I realised acting was all that I had and I am not complaining My father and I are two different personalities and that fact is a big burden on my shoulders Nitin This industry has stars and actors There is different requirement for both Tahir I hope this generation challenges that notion I have got many offers post Mardaani but not lead roles But if the audience does not see you as a lead actor you are perceived as not lead material Hansal Yes but that does not only depend on the audience even the makers and actors are responsibleQ Can Manoj Bajpai be cited as an example hereTahir Maybe someone like Nawazuddin Siddiqui Irrfan orhellipHansal Rajkummar did Queen but that was after he had done Shahid Nitin Rajkummar started with an ensemble film Love Sex aur Dhokha but was noticed over a period of time Hansal He is still doing ensembles It is a matter of choice An actor must take that leap of faith or else it gets limiting Nitin Also those of us with no backing have to make our own markQ But arent there just a few people who get the chance to show how good they areMukesh Chhabra Everyday 300 people come to me but only one of them is a good actor As a casting director I give opportunities to everyone to prove their mettleSabbir I must have auditioned almost 5000 aspiring actors for my film They all come thinking that they are the best actor in the world Who is going to tell them that they cannot act or dont fit the role One girl we turned down came to my office the next day with her entire family Mukesh I have faced many incidents like these in the past I was even bribed once Those who are not talented generally use such means to push their way forwardQ Isnt life easier for a commercial filmmaker than it is for someone like NitinSabbir I dont think so Nitin Nor do I I follow a particular genre although we are in the same space doing what we believe in There is only one thing differentiating us mdash that I may get an opening of few thousandshellipQ Or you may not get a theatre to release your filmhellipNitin Again that depends on the choices I make I might need to write a script and take it to Shah Rukh Khan But I choose to make films with the stories that I want to tell even if it costs me Rs 50 croreQ Why was Heropanti not made with an industry outsiderSabbir We set out to make a small film Please fault me for making an exciting poster and a trailer Fault me for enticing viewers to watch my film Hansal In fact I have information from Sajid Nadiadwalas camp that he has never spent such little money for a film Mukesh Many a time filmmakers have approached me for the casting even when they dont have that kind of a budget If I still think that the actor is right for the part I do the casting Sabbir I think thats the right approach for any film HansalBobby Jasoos was Vidya Balans titular role but everyone wrote good things about Ali Tahir Even Mardaani was Rani Mukerjis film and the filmmakers decided not to promote my character much because he was to be kept in the dark A newcomer who is unknown to people before the films release will remain unknown if it fails to work at the box officeQ So that insecurity will always be thereTahir I would rather label it as excitementAli Its fun too as you have to prove yourself Sabbir A star kid is set for a bigger fall but when heshe genuinely makes it no one says much When a struggler finds success everyone is full of praise Why doesnt anyone go gaga over Ranbir Kapoor Because he is Rishi Kapoors son He has been fabulous from the word go but people realised it only gradually Hansal Even though his debut film Sawaariya did not do well people knew he had potentialQ Tiger Shroff has also been accepted wellhellipSabbir Very apologetically I think that the whole notion of Oh a star kid should slowly wear off You might just be in the eye of the fraternity because everyone knows you when you are growing up but no one has it easyQ Dont contacts workNitin The industrys biggest star SRK came from television So I shouldnt crib about opportunities other directors are getting I should make a great film and prove myself Hansal The greatest actor Dilip Kumar was a fruitsellers son Ali Yes but there was also a time when this whole ecosystem of image building and PR existed Nitin The strength of PR gave us our Prime Minister today Hansal While trying to promote Shahid no one wanted to even interview me It was only 18 months later that people began taking interest Spending money on PR was a complete waste Nitin We kept a press meet for Filmistaan that no one attended Only when UTV came on board did things fall in place Maybe the National Award triggered something midday was the only paper that showed interest when the film was screened at MAMI Tahir Whether you are a star kid or an outsider there are two things that one needs discipline and blind conviction Hansal Usually the ones who dream of becoming actors are inspired by stars In fact their aim is to become stars not actors Shivam Sood One advantage for outsiders is that no one will see us acting bad We get the role once we have polished our craft In case of a star kid we can see the growth their first film may not be great but a few films later they do get there Hansal Does anyone remember the first time they saw Nawazuddin He was in just one scene in Sarfarosh but was noticed there Mukesh He used get paid a few hundred rupees Hansal Manoj Bajpai had recommended him So I gave him a small role He used to prepare these small skits and convince you to watch them as in those days there were no Mukesh Chhabras to audition you He used audition himself by constantly working on his craft He would catch hold of other actors and rehearse with them Tahir After doing so many great films he still comes everyday for the acting workshops and asks me how we should do the scene Hansal Manoj had failed initially but somehow he managed to stay afloat and opened the doors of opportunity with Satya 1998 It was a very stardominated time back then He is taking Marathi lessons for my film and devoting four hours to Marathi poetry He could easily be complacent but he is still working on his craft Shivam I guess it is about ones attitude and intention Mukesh Even the star kids are working hard They take dance and physical training classes Varun has worked hard for Badlapur Sidharth Malhotra did something like Ek Villain and is now trying to lose 20 pounds for his next film Star kids or not everyone is putting in a lot of effortQ What are the things that a star kid can do withoutTiger I like the pressure of being a star kid I guess I have to work harder take in the criticism and turn my weakness into strengthsQ Tell us about the auditioning processShashank Agrawal It is never an audition with Mukesh it is like acting in a short filmNitin We did not have money to hire a casting director for my film During auditions I noticed most of the aspirants mimicked Sunny Deol if they had to be angry and Shah Rukh Khan for a romantic scene People are more attracted to a film if there is a star kid rather than a newcomer Sabbir I disagree People choose to watch a film if they like a trailerQ Can you deny the curiosity factor of watching a star kid on the screenSabbir Once the first look is out it does not matter if you are a star kid or an outsider Hansal My daughter knows nothing about Jackie Shroff but knows him as Tiger Shroffs father not the other way round Sabbir Most of Heropantis collections came from youngsters who are not aware that Jackie Shroff was a big star in the 80s Nitin I still feel that a film starring a fresher gets a better opening Nitin It also depends on who is the actors fatherSabbir There is a classic quote that says you have to work hard to get lucky Mukesh Some people maintain a vision board in which they have a picture of themselves posing with a big celebrity Their belief is that if they keep looking at it it will come true Sanntosh Kumar I have a friend who has the picture of a Rs 10crore cheque stuck in his room Hansal If that is the aspiration one must focus on that Why look only at acting Its a gamble in the industry There are many other means of earning Rs 10 croreCoordinated by Asira Tarannum Moderated by Shubha ShettySaha Compiled by Sanat Mehra