Star Kids and Nepotism

If one brouses through film channels , all you get to see are the promos of new 'big releases like Saawariya and Om Shanti Om showing . Even channels like NDTV are not immune to this malaise by showing an increasingly emaciated SRK and an obnoxious Farah Khan extolling the virtues of their Magnum Opus. I do not have a problem with movies and national news existing side by side but there has to be a line drawn somewhere.

One aspect which shouts glaringly is,why we in India are subject to intense media hype about the next big film debut. Are we as a country and society so decrepit,so devoid of talent that we have to face the ignominy of one 'Great ' star kid launch or the other. When you listen to the interviews of one Mr. Bhansali about his great desire to work with newcomers , why are the newcomers----offsprings of filmstars?

I have nothing against children of filmstars trying to become stars , however this meansthat the 'Acting Gene' is automatically passed on by the parents to their kids.
It means that rest of the people struggling in the industry belong to a lesser God !
It means that Indians should not really crib about 'nepotism' for it exists in its most sycophantic and decadent way in its greatest entertainment medium.

Who am I to crib about this?when our 'great' filmmakers know what they are doing . Why should I crib when the great Mr. Bhansali knows what is right for the classes and the masses.Well! you can't expect more from a man who makes a 'Farcical Melodrama ' like Black and gets labelled as the next 'David Lean ' of Indian Cinema.

A Man who made a caricature of Amitabh and made him act over dramatically. Anyway I don't think that Mr. Bhansali is a bad filmmaker but he is certainly a melodramatic and overrated one.Coming back to Star Kids , I have not seen sons or daughters of great actors in the west becoming sensations overnight. A Michael Douglas or a Nicholas cage are exceptions but nobody would doubt their credentials as actors of merit.

Now whom do we have in India , I would not like to take names but most of the breed is mediocre while some are downright appalling.An Abhishek Bacchan is lionised for his performance in 'Guru' while a KK menon or Pankaj Kapur just get a passing mention.(In Black Friday and Dharm respectively).Why so these rich kids have to make a foray into films to prove their worth, I believe the answer itself lies in riches,these people are used to a certain standard of living and after 'Dad' retires or reaches the twilight of his career , this "precociusly" talented breed knows that they must find a similarly high paying job to maintain themselves.

Is this breed really as talented as their illustrious parents? if you look at our film industry than it means any actor's child is a born genius in the league of his own. If this adage is true than take its parrallel in this country's other opium 'Cricket'. 'Sunny Gavaskar's ' son should have been as talented as his father, this also means that Sachin's son would also be a great batsman simply due to his fathers genes.

'Sadly' in life such an occurence is rare and rather fanciful.I have no grudge against people earning money due to their lineage but life is cruel and the spirit of competition should be encouraged and fostered. Our public is as much to blame for making mediocrity shine in India , for the masses encumbered and crushed by life's hardships find solace in three hours of banality propagated by somebody born with a proverbial silver spoon. Clearly irony can't have a more sordid face.

I as a middle class Indian have no rights to speak against banality , however surely something in our collective conscience should point out towards reality and not myth.