Nepotism and its impact, specifically in the film industry is an endless debate. Of course, actors are often questioned on it, and everyone has different opinions, based on their experiences. While there is no one right or wrong answer, these experiences do show us varying perspectives, which is important. So recently, Gulshan Devaiah opened up about his take on the film industry and how he sees nepotism.
In a conversation with Chalchitra Talks, the actor talked about star-kids, and being an outsider, in all honesty. He mentioned that nepotism is a privilege, but privilege comes in varying forms. So there can also be a lot of talented people who do not get chances because of poverty. This means that being an outsider in the industry isn’t the biggest struggle of being in the industry. He added that even he comes from privilege which isn’t about being a star-kid.
“I have privilege, I went to a private school. When I was coming to Mumbai, my parents didn’t say don’t go. That’s my privilege and there are so many who don’t have privilege.”
Gulshan Devaiah also mentioned that there is no merit in art, so we cannot judge the best performance. And hence, we cannot exactly decide on who’s the better actor. This was another argument that he made, that nullified the idea of nepotism. His acknowledgement of his privilege and the subjectivity of art was truly honest, and brought up the right kind of discussion.
“Some people may think that Rajkummar is a better actor than me. Others may think that I’m a better actor than Rajkummar. They’re both right and they’re both wrong.”
While his opinion was personal and a lot of it made sense, there’s still a lack of realization about nepotism in the film industry. The fact still remains that most star-kids get an easier chance, which takes away someone else’s opportunity to even audition for the same role. This, in no way denies that getting to audition over someone who cannot even consider working in the industry, is still a privilege. However, like all fields of work, acknowledging and using our privilege in the right sense is what matters.
Watch the clip here:
We might never reach the end of this debate, and that’s okay as long as people do the right thing.