Abhay Deol on nepotism debate: Did only one movie with family

Last Updated : 12 July 2020, 08:14 IST

It is no secret that Abhay Deol is one of the most underrated and talented stars in the Hindi film industry. He has carved a niche for himself in Bollywood with his impressive selection of roles and desire to experiment with his reel image.

The Dev D star, on Saturday (July 11), took to Instagram to comment on the burning issue of nepotism in Bollywood. He said that he has made one film with family members (the Deols) and accomplished everything on his merits. Talking about his uncle and Bollywood legend Dharmendra, he said that ‘Dharamji’ was an outsider and made it big despite having no connections. He also made it clear that he is proud to be associated with him.

Also Read: Award functions demoted me to supporting actor for 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara': Abhay Deol

Abhay added that there is nothing wrong in discussing nepotism but things need to be viewed in a larger context.

View this post on Instagram

My uncle, whom I affectionately call dad, was an outsider who made it big in the film industry. I’m glad there is an active debate on the practices behind the scenes. Nepotism is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve only ever made one film with my family, my 1st, and I’m grateful to be blessed and have that privilege. I’ve gone that extra mile in my career to make my own path, something that dad always encouraged. For me he was the inspiration. Nepotism is prevalent everywhere in our culture, be it in politics, business, or film. I was well aware of it and it pushed me to take chances with new directors and producers throughout my career. That is how I was able to make movies that were considered “out of the box.” I’m glad some of those artists and films went on to have tremendous success. While it plays a part in every country, nepotism has taken on another dimension here in India. I suspect caste plays a major role in it being more pronounced here than in other parts of the world. After all, it is “jati” that dictates that a son carry on the work of his father, while the daughter is expected to marry and be a housewife. If we are serious about making changes for the better, then focusing on only one aspect, one industry, while ignoring the many others, will be incomplete and possibly counter productive. We need a cultural evolution. After all, where do our filmmakers, politicians and businessmen come from? They are people just like everyone. They grow up within the same system as everybody else. They are a reflection of their culture. Talent everywhere deserves a chance to shine in his or her medium. As we have learnt over the past few weeks, there are several ways in which an artist is either uplifted to success, or beaten down to failure. I’m glad more actors are coming out today and speaking of their experiences. I’ve been vocal about mine for years now, but as a lone voice I could only do so much. It’s easy to smear one artist for speaking out, and I have been at the receiving end from time to time. But as a group, a collective, that becomes difficult. Maybe now is our watershed moment. #change #equalopportunity #nepotism #caste #jati #nuance #dialogue
A post shared by Abhay Deol (@abhaydeol) on Jul 10, 2020 at 9:34pm PDT

Nopotism became a topic of discussion in the film circles in 2016 when Kangana Ranaut accused Karan Johar of favouring star kids while ignoring ‘outsiders’. The issue recently resurfaced when Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide on June 14, much to the shock of movie buffs. Several fans claimed that Bollywood biggies had tried to sabotage his career. Some of them trolled the likes of Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha for being ‘products of nepotism’.

Following the backlash, ‘Sona’ deactivated her Twitter account to avoid the ‘negativity’.

Manoj Bajpayee too commented on the controversy and acknowledged that ‘outsiders’ need to put in more effort when compared to those with industry connections. He also highlighted the need to make the system more democratic to ensure that everyone gets equal opportunities.

Coming back to Abhay, last year, he made his Kollywood bedut with Hero and added a new dimension to his career. The Sivakarthikeyan starrer, however, did not do as well as expected. He was also seen in What Are the Odds, which released on Netlix on March 20.

Published 12 July 2020, 07:49 IST

bollywood Nepotism abhay deol

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Abhay Deol on nepotism debate: Did only one movie with family

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