Actress Tisca Chopra said here Friday that the star kid phenomenon is like a "double-edged sword". She agrees that debutants who are acquainted with the pressures of the film industry have an advantage, but says that they also have to face "huge expectations" for being related to a star.

Tisca Chopra

"The star kid phenomenon is a double-edged sword. If you have grown up watching the business, the chances of doing well are high. To get used to people looking at you minutely and behave as if nobody is looking at you, is hard anyway," she said.

Tisca, who belongs to a family of educationists, said there are additional pressures.

"There is a pressure of being in public space, to have that kind of money riding on you, to perform on that precise moment even if you don't feel like it.

"If you have watched your mom or dad or other family members doing that, then it's that much easier. You are just so used to it," she said at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival.

The "Taare Zameen Par" actress has authored the book "Acting Smart", which is about making a career in Bollywood.

"The downside (of being a star kid) is even before you take your first step, there are huge expectations," she noted, adding its "better" to be from outside showbiz.