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Blog Written by: Kartik Nair
Note:
The views expressed in this blog are entirely personal.
What is the first
word that came to your mind when you saw the big image or the title? Was it
favouritism, cronyism, partiality, patronage, or was it a wave of anger,
frustration or sadness that you experienced? Or did you think of a recent
incident which showed the ugly face of nepotism to the world? This blog on Nepotism and the Bollywood Film
Industry is not just about the situation surrounding the mysterious death of Sushant Singh Rajput,
it is about how nepotism as cancer that has crept up in our everyday life, and
exists only to eat up and finish us as a whole.
DEFINITION AND ORIGINS OF NEPOTISM
Nepotism is not new. But
before I dive straight in and try and explain what it is all about and about
its origins, its relevance in the present-day context, etc., I would like to
give you a basic definition. Nepotism,
in a nutshell, is favouritism or
preferences granted to close ones or relatives due to familiar or blood
relations, instead of rewarding proper candidates based on merit such as
performance, personality, achievements and results to name a few. On the other
hand, cronyism is favouritism to
friends or contacts, again based on a relationship than merit.
As stated previously,
the origin of nepotism is not
recent. In the Middle ages, nephews of Popes and bishops were given important
assignments, as owing to their vows, they couldn’t produce an offspring. The
position based on preference had thus, started. One such example is the head of
the Borgia family, Pope Callixtus III, who made one of his nephews, Rodrigo as
a cardinal, who then rose to become Pope
Alexander VI. Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar in his Kural literature (Thirrukural) spoke about
nepotism and favouritism as both evil and unwise, in as early as 500 AD. No
wonder nepotism comes from the Italian word 'nepotismo' (Latin-Nepos meaning
nephew.) And nepotism is rampant everywhere, right from the film industry to
organizational positions, employment roles, politics, etc.
Empathize with a
top-tier MBA grad who takes a massive study loan, studies his bottoms off for a
couple of years, does gruelling assignments and then, finally manages to work
at a family-oriented company. Doesn't it sound funny, when you think he will be
presenting to his ‘boss’ (a 20-year old kid)? And guess what happens when he
thinks he'll join the 'club' climb the ladder to join the family ranks. Well, that
does not occur. We need to understand that most of these individuals are
talented, qualified and skilled. But, let’s step in the shoes of the MBA grad
for a moment to realize one thing. No matter how much he excels, he knows he
would never join the ‘ruling class’ ranks.
NEPOTISM IN INDIA
We’ve all heard of
rampant corruption in India at all levels, haven’t we? But what about nepotism?
Disturbing as it may sound, nepotism is
in bed with various industries; from politics to business, from religious
organizations to industries, from arts and creators, and from the film industry
to one of the places you may never think of it to exist: the Judiciary. Again, these are a few examples. Well, you might be
still stuck at the judiciary, unable to believe it, aren't you? Well, I was as
shocked as you when I was researching for my blog on nepotism in India today.
There are allegations of appointments of
judges and senior officials to the Supreme Court and High Courts, based on
nepotism and favouritism, or even castism and regional preferences, as the
offices of judges of the High Court and Supreme Court are done through a
non-transparent collegium system, which recommends names to the President for
an appointment. And yes, this is in accordance with the law and is done in a
legally bound way. And before you start looking for it, no! – I will not be
talking about the role nepotism plays in shaping internal political party
developments or leadership.
This sense of belonging to a specific class
is ingrained in the higher Indian economic order. In India, talent, hard work and performance are subordinate
to dynasties or certain categories of people, if you may see it that way.
And it is everywhere. Well, think about reservation in the Indian government
hierarchy and here is a place with a 100% reservation for the family offspring
for the upper ranks. A strong irony, isn't it? Looking at it from the
hard-lined culture and societal way, the person tends to reflect less of
himself and more of his family. Although I have made a separate section in this
blog on nepotism in the Bollywood
industry, think about the top actors who appear on the big screen. Yes,
they are sons or daughters of current or former film stars, directors or
writers. For hundreds and thousands of people flocking to the dream city of
Mumbai, hoping to make it big, here is the hard, harsh reality. The probability
of gaining prominence and rising to the
top is almost non-existent.
Also, remember the
MBA grad example I gave in the previous section? Well, let me tell you that
almost 75% of India’s top business groups are family-owned, and in just last
year had a combined wealth of over INR 26 Lakh Crore. Nepotism cripples us and encourages mediocrity, at all levels, and
almost nobody no matter how the laws are structures is immune from that.
NEPOTISM AND ITS TRYST WITH THE BOLLYWOOD FILM INDUSTRY
As of now, there are
varying theories behind the death of one of Bollywood’s most promising
superstars, more importantly, an outsider who had to create a name for himself
in a ‘surname-dominated’ industry.
Whatever said and done, this debate on
nepotism is a turning point not just in the Bollywood film industry, but
for the larger Indian society as well. In a fast-paced world, a distinction
between the portrayed self and the ideal self is a challenge for most people,
more so in this industry. For a famous celebrity, the problem is to measure
himself continuously in comparison to his personal markers in any industry,
most probably for 'acceptance'. The
present-day Bollywood film industry is primarily controlled by a set of few
people or their families, popularly known as dynasties. The discrimination between star kids and outsiders have
been going on ever since Bollywood acquired an industry status in 1998.
Bollywood failed Sushant. A look into his past, his memoirs
reveal him seeking for acceptance in the industry. Here, the approval is not
wrt. the viewers. It is for a handful of certain elites who set the rules in
the Hindi film industry. For Sushant, his work was never given ‘due credit’ and was just considered as a talented
outsider. Compare him with Arjun Kapoor for a second. (And no, do not laugh!)
Arjun Kapoor may not be able to act at the same level, but even if the movie
flops terribly, it still ends up making a profit or getting at a break-even
point, thanks to various strategies used by industry bigwigs. More importantly,
Arjun will get to do another role at a better cinema, if not worse. That is
perhaps one of the biggest reasons for India producing few critically acclaimed movies in the biggest playground for actors,
producers and financers in India-Bollywood. For a lot of players, the star kids
are often seen as a failsafe to generate more significant revenues than to
engage or promote real talent.
In a free, democratic
country like India, a person can work with anyone; a director or a producer has
each right to select the potential actor, the talent they would want to work
with. The problem starts when such bigwigs begin creating classes or camps that
disable the chance of fair opportunities for others.
Source: Internet | Concept and Design: SharatChandran Nair
What do you have to
say regarding this? The fraternity, the family, called Bollywood? For me, it is
nothing more than statutory messages (as a large number of them were part of
the 'industry') or even crocodile tears,
if I may call it that way. The definition of people being plastic is taken to a
different, ridiculous dimension. Celebrity hairstylist Sapna Bhavnani spoke
about the shallowness of the industry
and how nobody was anybody’s friend. In the cold, cruel industry, one flop for
outsiders meant them being treated as untouchables. The aftermath of Sushant’s
death led to cases being filed against top industry figures. Also, he was
removed from a lot of films, and some of his movies were not released. And this
is not just Sushant. A lot of actors and actresses (outsiders) have been signed
and dropped from projects for these ‘insiders’. Even for some outsiders who
achieve a certain amount of celebrity status, they get little compliments and
not real perks or incentives like those reserved for various star-kids. And Sushant knew this. In
one of his videos about nepotism, he stated that nepotism could co-exist and nothing would happen, but if one,
intentionally didn't allow the right talent to come up, there would be a
problem. In a letter to one of his fans, he even begged people to watch his films, lest he is kicked out of
Bollywood, and that he had no Godfather
in the industry.
Unlike a lot of
star-kids, Sushant was genuinely talented and bright and more importantly, was
more of an intellectual character. One look at his social media posts reveal articles and posts about data analysis, physics, the galaxy, planets etc. The
wide space. Ironical, isn't it? A star
more interested in stars than merely making it to page-3 news. Bollywood
may seem like one big happy family, but Sushant’s deaths have exposed a large
structure with various cracks. But then, why was he not helped by this big
family, which is Bollywood? Sushant Singh Rajput for me is not just an
individual, it is a face, a voice of
countless, talented artists who were ignored and poorly treated by this
industry. There were Sushants before, there are, and there will be. We need to
ensure that, in time, no other Sushant suffers again. And it has to start now.
Thank you, @sushantsinghrajput. You will be
remembered for the right reasons.
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**SharatChandran Nair
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