What is nepotism? Many of us don’t know the meaning.

An industrialist keeps his non-experienced son in his office to help him and chucks out an experienced person who has served him for years. This is called nepotism or favouritism.
Now let’s turn to films and discuss this topic.
Satyajit Ray had once remarked that the Indian audience doesn’t have any respect for art and aesthetics. In a way, he was right. Paving way for mediocrity as an excuse for entertainment commercial success has led to the deterioration of the Hindi cinema.

We all know that ‘nepotism is one of the burning issues in the Hindi film industry today. This word became a buzzword ever since Kangana Ranaut’s appearance on Karan Johar’s chat show when the actress/director attacked the host calling him the flag-bearer of nepotism (someone who is snooty and completely intolerant to outsiders) and accused him of running a movie mafia. While there are some celebs who accept that nepotism exists in Bollywood, there are some who don’t agree on this point.

In another talk show, Sonam Kapoor opened up and broke down the meaning of Nepotism. Here, the actress said that everyone thinks that it’s a relative of a person who brings him or her into moviedom.  Here, she underlined the point that nepotism actually means to get a job through any connection. She felt that people have misunderstood it or are used the word for their own benefit to put other people down. She further felt that if her father hadn’t to come from an illustrious family, she wouldn’t be there in films today.

Let us remind everyone that everyone knows how super stars of the South like Rajnikant and Kamal Hassan were not allowed to stay on in Bollywood and regale audiences though they were both performing well. So was the late S.P. Balasubramanyam.

In the current times, all this started with the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR). Now, all that remains of the actor are the films he featured in, his dedication and his passion for cinema.  His demise under questionable circumstances has once again ignited the debate around nepotism or favouritism not only in the Indian film industry but in different walks of life as well. After his demise, there was an uproar saying that he wasn’t treated well since he was an outsider. It’s also been reported that the late actor lost as many as seven film projects helmed by mainstream filmmakers. This may have led him towards depression.

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how one feels, thinks and behaves and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical disorders.
Falling prey to depression has many internal and external factors associated with it. But what makes a reigning superstar feel secluded and neglected is the lack of opportunities and recognition he gets or expects. Many an actor who was very successful in his hey days but lost his charm when he aged, takes to drinking heavily out of depression.

When a credible performer feels ignored or dejected, it is the audience that matters. If he fails, it’s the audience who actually fails him or her.

Due to the present unravelling of mysteries and conspiracy theories around SSR’s alleged suicide, the accusations and mudslinging seem to go on and on to no end. However, this unfortunate incident calls for serious introspection on favouritism in our film industry.

In Bollywood, nepotism is known as the lack of recognition faced by promising actors, filmmakers, scriptwriters, editors, cinematographers, lyricists, singers, music composers, choreographers, etc. Unfortunately, the debate gets restricted to the actors as they’re more reachable to the audience.

Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Rekha, Jaya Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit so on and so forth didn’t become overnight sensations just because of exceptional talents. It was the love and appreciation of the viewers towards them that made them superstars.

Our film-watching experience has been limited to remembering the names of actors but not the directors except for a few. In spite of liking the story, grooving to the music and being in awe of the glamourous costumes worn by actors, we hardly care about the writers, lyricists, choreographers, composers, or costume designers or for that matter, singers.

Film directors, screenwriters, editors and sound designers who do an equally commendable job in movie making are often overshadowed by the on-screen performers. So, in order to address the issue of nepotism, it is very important to see that everyone involved in filmmaking get their dues. Only, the audience or viewers have the ability to honour artistry.

Filmmakers, actors, screenwriters and singers without any Godfather won’t be willing to raise their voice against nepotism unless there’s a backing by the audiences.

Finally, where do we not find nepotism with favouritism doing the rounds everywhere? This practise isn’t going to end soon. How do we put an end to all this is a big question?