Arjun and Shraddha Kapoor defend their star kid status

It feels strange when you have A-listers like Arjun Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor going on the defence when talking about nepotism. Arjun is the son of the movie producer Boney Kapoor while Shraddha is the daughter of one of Bollywood's most famous villains, Shakti Kapoor. In Dubai to promote their film Half Girlfriend, that releases today, the actors were not at ease discussing with City Times a topic that's being hotly debated in B-town.

Some points they made were good, but many a times, they sounded as if they wanted more out of their privileged status (of being star kids).  This is what Arjun had to say when we asked him if star kids have it easy. "Why don't we look at directors, writer, cinematographer, singers, musicians, we give so many opportunities to outsiders to come and make a career? I don't hear anyone giving us positivity for that. I don't hear anyone saying nice things like how our industry doesn't stop anyone, from across the world, coming (to Bollywood) without having an educational backing and managing to make something out of it! It is not about denying or agreeing about nepotism, you have Sushant Singh Rajput, Kriti Sanon and Anushka Sharma who are all outsiders and doing well in the industry. We also have Vicky Kaushal, son of action director Sham Kaushal, who worked in a small film called Masaan that went to Cannes. He is now working with Raj Kumar Hirani," Arjun said.

Keeping a balance
Arjun then went on to explain that how star kids have to work hard to make a mark in the industry. "We (star kids) have a platform, but we have to work hard to be worthy of that platform. Nobody gives us credit for that! We work hard to hold our own, despite having this (privileged) position. But we do our job well. Nobody talks of those things. I would like this to be a positive conversation. Let's not be negative, bitter and make it sound like the industry is a big, bad place," he said.

Facing rejection
Shraddha revealed to us about her experience of facing rejection and being replaced overnight, "Frankly, from my personal experience, the industry works in a very practical and cut-throat manner. I have given so many auditions. I have been cast in films. I have been replaced as soon as I have been cast in them because my first two films haven't done well. I have even been replaced after celebrating and cutting the cake for the film. There is a lot of competition. With all due respect, people have their way of thinking . At the end of the day, making a movie is a business. Whoever feels that star kids have it easy - it's a massive misconception."

Democratic approach
Arjun who initially did not want to talk about nepotism and asked us to copy-paste his answers (really?) from his previous interview, was in no mood to stop, "It is a most secular and democratic (thing) if you look at it! It would be silly to say that it doesn't exist but yes, of course, we might have it easy in certain ways - like meeting people or communicating or understanding the profession, but at the end of the day, nobody is going to invest in us unless we are saleable, unless we make business for them. Nobody is doing us favours, it is an expensive business. I have somebody who is sitting next to me who is the prime example of what it means to be accepted by the audience and getting an opportunity. Her father was an outsider, he started from somewhere. She did her first film and it didn't turn out to be as expected. She kept working hard. She did not get Aashiqui 2 because her father made that film. She got that film on her merit. That director believed in her."
How they bagged their first film
Shraddha: I bagged my first film after the producer saw me on Facebook. She had no idea whose daughter I was or anything. She got in touch with me and said that she wanted to audition me. Then, of course, we formed a connection -  she was in school with my brother and then she learnt that I was my Shakti Kapoor's daughter. I feel like there is always a flip side to the discussion. There have been people who have come from a film background and have made a career and there have been so many people without a film background who have made  successful film careers. If you see the film fraternity itself, it's comprised of more people from the outside.
Arjun: I had the same experience. Shanoo Sharma (casting director of Yash Raj films) saw me at a party and then she ended up auditioning me. She had seen me when I was overweight and then she saw me after I lost weight. After the transformation, she didn't find out that I was Boney Kapoor's son till she called me for the audition. What I am coming at is, in most professions, when children want to be part of their family business, they are sent out to educate themselves so they have a legitimate degree or diploma to state that they are capable and worthy of being part of that work. We don't have a degree or diploma when it comes to movies. Our degree and diploma are them. The audience decides whether they want to see more of us or they don't. Isn't that the most democratic and fair way of being judged.
What other star kids say about  nepotism
Alia Bhatt in an interview with Bombay Times:  "So, I want to punch all those people who say that star kids have it easy because it makes no sense. The way the world is today, either you have it or you don't. The only advantage that I have today is that if I want to talk to someone about issues, I can reach out to my father who has that experience. But even in this case, the first person I call is not my father. I call Karan Johar."
Varun Dhawan to NDTV: "They (outsiders) are acting if their father hasn't even bought a pencil box for them. It just becomes an excuse after some time."
Karan Johar to Kangana Ranaut during his talk at London School of Economics: "If the industry is so bad, leave it."
Sonam Kapoor on Kangana's nepotism remark to NDTV: "What did she say, she keeps saying things all the time. She is very entertaining though. I love her interviews and look forward to them."
What's the story?
Half Girlfriend is a coming-of-age story of a Bihari boy in quest of winning over the girl he loves.
The girl does not admit to the relationship but agrees to be his half girlfriend.
Arti Dani