The term Nepotism is used to insult those in any field who have relatives to help them navigate the job market easily. The reality is that nepotism has been a practice used for decades in many big industries such as politics, college admissions, and most visibly, the film industry. The debate over whether nepotism is acceptable within the film industry has intensified in recent years.

There is an abundance of ‘Nepo’ children who are well-loved: Alia Bhatt, Hritik Roshan, Jake Gyllenhal, Elizabeth Olsen, Angelina Jolie, etc. They’ve been critically acclaimed for their talents, and genuine dedication– and yet the public has no issue with them being products of Nepotism. 

There is a major reason as to why actors such as Arjun Kapoor, Suhana Khan, Lily Rose Depp, Zoe Kravitz, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Jaden Smith, etc. are scrutinized in the media rather than appreciated. They have a grip in the industry that far exceeds others, but they failed to deliver a recognizable identity.  

It’s only natural for parents of these star children to teach them about the entertainment business as their whole life they’ve been exposed to it. Being born into these successful families isn’t their fault, it’s the hard work to achieve success that doesn’t come easy. Nepotism often misconstrues our views of genuine talent and favoritism.

In an interview with The Standard, Tom Hanks, had discussions with director Marc Forster to let his youngest son, Truman Hanks star in his film A Man Named Otto (2022). Hanks states that Hollywood itself is a “family business.” 

He emphasizes, “Doesn’t matter what our last names are. We have to do the work in order to make that a true and authentic experience for the audience.” 

Tom Hanks’ view understands the duality of nepotism, but misses the mark. His claims that our last names don’t matter in the process is debatable, due to the fact that through talks with the director, he was able to get his son in the movie. It’s also important to recognize the other side that equally talented individuals without well known last names struggle to get roles.  

In contrast, one of the most controversial uses of Nepotism is in the Bollywood industry. In the year 2000, a movie called Refugee debuted with the son of the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, Absheik Bachchan’s film career. He also starred opposite Kareena Kapoor, daughter of Randir Kapoor, as a love interest in the film. Both of them being star kids from star parents. 

Initially, according to IMDb, Bipasha Basu was offered this role, as well as Sunil Shetty for them both to act in this film. Their roles were scrapped and replaced with Absheik Bachan and Kareena Kapoor in order to debut them to continue their families legacies. 

The Times of India’s coverage of Abhishek Bachchan’s career when asked about his debut film and claims of Nepotism, he shares, “It doesn’t matter who you relate to that will help you in your first film. They’re intrigued when an actor or celebrity’s kid is set to make a debut.” 

Abhishek shares the same sentiment of Hanks but they both completely disregard the process of making it on a set in the first place. It in fact does matter who you relate to, Hank’s son Truman, and Abhishek wouldn’t have gotten those roles without their prorental figure. 

He continues to contradict himself with his defense, “How many of these star kids have succeeded in comparison to those who have not come from a film background. The numbers are there for you to see. The discussion starts and ends there.” 

This discussion definitely ends there. According to The India Express, Abhishek Bachchan initially struggled to land any roles before Refugee, and even after now having over 70 films under his belt, he is still referred to as a “star kid”. 

Films in recent years garnered less viewership and attention due to the inclusion of said “Nepo babies.” Only recently, people have an automatic resentment towards those who got their roles easier than others. These agendas have gone far, it’s not their fault that they were born into film families. It’s reasonable why they would follow the footsteps of their parents, but my argument conveys that hard work really matters. 

According to Mathew Staiger, a research scientist at Harvard’s Opportunity Insights, he states, “There’s a set of kids out there who, without the help from their parents, would struggle to find decent-paying jobs.” 

Overall, his research finds that 29% of Americans work for a parent’s employer at least once by age 30. This would increase earnings by an average of 17%, largely due to parents providing access to higher paying industries and firms. This percentage being for middle to upper class families in America, connecting to the film industry. 

 This is where the split happens between genuine passion, and the reliance of favoritism. Many talents are hidden from the world, and those who are compassionate in acting are hit with the reality that their chances are lower than those who are born into it.