Pankaj Tripathi: For star kids to survive, talent is necessary

Pankaj Tripathi. Image sourced from mid-day archives

The age-old debate on nepotism and groupism has reinvigorated after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput on June 14. The debate has exploded on social media over the last few weeks and a lot of television and Hindi film actors have been talking about it and how Bollywood functions. Several celebrities have also spoken about the dark side of showbiz. There has been an increased hostility towards Bollywood, as the late actor's fans believe he was wronged by the industry and deprived of opportunities.

Pankaj Tripathi, who is an outsider himself also opened up on his thoughts about nepotism. The actor lashed out at netizens targetting star kids. Speaking to Hindustan Times, the veteran actor said, "We, as humans, should have empathy and kindness inside us. At the same time, one doesn't decide where they are going to be born, it's not in our hands. I know right now, the entire world has below average sensibility, and making the facts reach people through social media is difficult".

The Newton actor added, "Filmi parivaar ke bachhon ko advantage hai ki unko platform bauhaut asaani se mil jaayega (Star kids have the advantage of getting a platform early in their lives). I've been acting for 24 years now. It could have been that in place of me, some film family kid would have been recognised right from their first film. But for them to survive, talent is necessary. After Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Monday onwards the public comes to see the film, not because someone is a producer, director or star's kid. Even if it's an average film, it could be average for us, but a big chunk of India's public could consider it above that."

Tripathi, who has been working in the industry for the past 16 years called himself as the "biggest outsider than other in Bollywood". "I come from rural India, without an urban upbringing, and studied in a Hindi medium school. My journey is proof that hard work, passion and sincerity makes you reach somewhere", he added.

A few weeks back, Pankaj Tripathi had expressed his views on nepotism. He said, "Nepotism has never really bothered me in any way. I have always been busy working on my craft. People might think I am lying when I say that I have never felt uncomfortable in the industry. But this journey and experience have been mine so I only can say how it was so far. My truth is that I have had my share of struggles. I have worked immensely hard to bag roles in films. I have struggled for eight long years before people started recognizing me."

On the work front, he was last seen in The Kargil Girl, a biopic on Air Force Pilot Gunjan Saxena who played a pivotal role in 1999 Kargil War. He played the role of Janhvi Kapoor's father in the movie. When the trailer of the film was released, Janhvi was trolled on social media for the raging debate on nepotism and insider-outsider.

Also Read: Piyush Mishra On Nepotism: No Kapoor Or Khan Family Came In My Way

After the tragic demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, the star kids have been under the scrutiny of the social media users. Several celebrities like Dharmendra, Koena Mitra, Shamita Shetty, Rithvik Dhanjani, Raveena Tandon have revealed the dark side of the showbiz.

Recently in an interview, she talked about the ire of social media users and how she hasn't made peace with it.

Also Read: Vidyut Jammwal Compares Nepotism To 'Beggar Knocking At Car Window': Outsiders Are Often Considered Invisible

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