Mayank Shekhar: Why Saif Ali Khan is partly right

Recently Varun Dhawan Karan Johar and Saif Ali Khan landed in hot water over a jibe against Kangana Ranaut and supporting nepotism PicAFPPolitical correctness has for a while been the tyranny of our times If you dont agree simply look at the reverses or reactions to it with trolls online who get away passing off their hate and bigotry for honesty and irreverence Yet on a scale from KRK to Trump no one is likely to go so far as to mention eugenics controlled breeding to defend anything let alone nepotism Actor Saif Ali Khan did And that was mildly appallingFor one Trump would instantly associate that eword to the Nazi justification of Holocaust KRK if he looked up the dictionary would know its the old rationale behind a bulk of Indian society arguing against intercaste marriages Brahmins being placed at the top of the pyramid and there are subcategories even within thatSaif oddly associated eugenics to talent in acting Its more formally applied to looks build skintone intellect and maybe he meant that more Only when intercaste even interreligious marriages became relatively common did people from my parents or grandparents generation realise what a bunkum theory eugenics wasThe progeny of mixed race couples to use a broader description inevitably turn out fine if not better than either parent Regardless I can show you really goodlooking people whose parents you wont be able to recognise likewise the opposite Even if beauty is subjective DNA is luck of draw for humansBut who cares about that anyway if you go back to the nature vs nurture argument With the latter you get dealt a greatterrible hand depending on three things location location location of where youre born This would be true for whatever profession you wish to pursue Is it truer for traditional showbusiness which has forever seemed like a mirage for everyone lookingin starryeyed from a distance Of courseLets face it talent apart which is a given showworld unlike movies music or any other art is the business of creating stars In a true sense Bollywood has chiefly concentrated on creating moviestars often done through largerthanlife hoardings dramatic onscreen entries songs photography low angle and top shots carried forward onground with active help from image managers ad industry and pamphlet journalism that benefits from hoisting a figure who the readersviewers are deeply interested in Its peculiar that every Indian glossy on fashion or interior design has a moviestar on the coverEven the mainstream press has eyed the same faces since it progressively moved from being a leftwing batting for the underdog kinda enterprise to a rightwing celebrating the overlords circus This is the starsystem where fame feeds off fame Can so much investment on one generation naturally spill over to the next Sure Or it wont if the public doesnt acceptShowbiz like politics is most democratic only at the ground level So too bad that Rajiv Gandhis or Mulayam Singh Yadavs sons arent kicking ass currently Because the public didnt vote The same for RajendraRajManoj Kumars kids eventuallyEither way the oldworld private producer was very different from a structured political party or a professional studio Would he invest in a complete newcomer mortgaging his home Yes if thats his own son if not a starson He had even more to lose otherwise Lets see whats changed Rishi Kapoor Rajs son Prithivirajs grandson had 23 leading ladies debuting opposite him Some of their names he cant recall anymore let alone where they are This would be unimaginable for male leadsEarlier stars and producers wouldnt send their daughters to work in movies as often for reasons best known to them This isnt the case anymore hence a new massive backgate in the community Unsurprisingly a fresh debate in case you are still interestedu00e2u0080u0088on showbiz and nepotism started with Kangana Ranaut the only genuine ragstoriches story firing the first salvoOf course the gatekeepers would be happy to let in whoever so long as they sense profits They can test new waters given more avenues to gauge public acceptance and develop talents web television offstream cinemahellip Access to camera screen and an audience isnt as hard Fame finds newer routes You could become an overnight sensation through a YouTube video gone viralI know quite a few such heroes before and after their viral fever many of them losing it because really they cant tell whats hit them momentarily And it occurs to me that maybe like old money there is such a thing as old fameI watch some filmy kids in comparison who seem to wear superstardom and their connections rather lightly Perhaps someone whos lived around a fawning public all their life seen the ups and downs of it through their parents own observed closely the ephemeral fickleness of it all might be in a position to handle stardom and excessive attention a lot of it undeserved more easily rather than getting carried away by the first windAge of course offers much wisdom in such matters some are born with it as well Surely everyone can overcome this gust sooner or later This isnt to say a starkid in the context of showbiz doesnt hold a natural advantage in this regard I sense they doMayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture He tweets mayankw14 Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom