Rakesh Roshan responds to Priyanka Chopra's comment and asserts that nepotism does not exist.
Rakesh Roshan has once again made it to the headlines with Netflix India’s new documentary series, The Roshans. It has sparked discussion regarding Bollywood's most influential film families. The series pays homage to the legacy of legendary music director, Roshan Lal Nagrath, his son, composer and director, Rajesh Roshan, and filmmaker, Rakesh Roshan. The docuseries showcases the journey of Rakesh Roshan's son, actor, Hrithik Roshan.
It is common for Bollywood families to support one another, and there have often been discussions that these favours can be unfair to outsiders. However, in a recent interaction, Rakesh Roshan cleared his stance on the nepotism debate and cleared that nothing like it exists. During the conversation, Rakesh was asked to comment on Priyanka Chopra's praise of the Roshan family for being inclusive to outsiders in the entertainment industry.
Addressing the topic, the filmmaker reflected on his son, Hrithik Roshan's Bollywood debut in Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai emphasised that his son earned the opportunity after years of working as an assistant. He revealed that the actor earned his debut project on his own merits. In conversation with Draw Your Box, he stated:
"Actually, I feel like there is nothing like nepotism. We always cast people who are right for the role. I knew Hrithik well and saw how hard he worked. He assisted me for four years, and when he joined the school and showcased his acting, I could see he had everything it took. That’s when I decided to launch him. Had he not had all these things, I would have never launched him. So we launch actors and actresses on their capability."
In The Roshans docuseries, Priyanka Chopra expressed admiration for the family's inclusion of outsiders in the industry. She shared that the Roshans make their table longer to include people like her and create opportunities for them. For the unversed, Priyanka has worked with the Roshans in Krrish (2006) and Krrish 3 (2013), both directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan under Filmkraft Productions. She also shared the screen with Hrithik in Agneepath (2012). She was quoted saying:
"They make their table longer. They pull in people like me, who didn’t grow up in the industry, and create opportunities so that it’s not just them who are benefiting from what they’ve been able to create. I really admire that the table doesn’t stay small."
Despite Priyanka Chopra's praise for the Roshans, she has on various occasions shared how nepotism has impacted her career. In a conversation on Dax Shepard’s podcast, she revealed that there have been actors who come from a multi-generation actor family and get multiple projects. She was quoted saying:
"You know, there are multi-generational actors that come in and get multiple opportunities versus the ones that come in from outside. You don’t have your uncle making a movie for you just because your last one tanked. I was terrified when those six movies didn’t do well because I’m not a nepo baby. I didn’t have that kind of support that exists in a big way in Bollywood movies."
What are your thoughts on Rakesh Roshan's revelation?
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