Saif Ali Khan: The nepotism remark was meant to be a joke

Saif Ali Khan along with co-host Karan Johar and Varun Dhawan took a dig at the 'Queen' actress Kangana Ranaut recently at an event held in New York. While Saif said Varun that he was in the industry because of his father, David Dhawan. Varun replied saying that Saif was here because of his mother, adding onto this was KJo who said that he was here because of his papa.

The three went to the extent of shouting "nepotism rocks" multiple times during the act. This led to a backlash on the internet where the actors were called out for taking a dig at the actress. Trolls and shaming followed, and Varun even tweeted apologising for the same. Karan too agreed that he regrets the act and that he shouldn't have brought it up.

Talking about the same to an online portal, Saif clarified, "To me, at the event, it was just a joke and nothing more to be read into. But now I feel had we given it more thought, we could’ve really finished this ongoing public discourse on nepotism more decisively."

Talking about Kangana the actor said, "I respect Kangana tremendously for what she’s achieved, for coming up the hard way. We’re a mutual admiration society. She also agrees that despite having illustrious parents, I too have had an uneven beginning in Bombay. I understand what Kangana means by her stance on nepotism, though I have a slightly different take on it. People knew who I was because of my parents but that didn’t necessarily give me an easy ride. Look at the spate of terrible movies I’ve starred in and you know that phase lasted for a long while."

Adding on to the nepotism debate, Saif said, "I am generally perceived as being a very privileged person and I probably am; the reality of it is also that growing up in Pataudi and Bhopal isn’t what people think it is. We are privileged also in terms of getting an opportunity to meet a producer, which in itself is an advantage. But beyond that, only your talent can sustain you. There are also many star kids who are actors and directors who people aren’t so interested in because they perhaps lack the talent."

"Whatever it may be, this privileged versus the unaffiliated leads to a great deal of unfairness. Nepotism is also not to be confused with campism. What Kangana might be talking about is that people generally promote their own people. Which is disturbing but not that much different from say the studio system where say a Universal or a Paramount promotes their lot. It’s actually business. Nepotism is Donald Trump putting his son at the helm of things instead of someone more suited for the job. There are so many unequal opportunities in India today, no wonder then that people view us as being super privileged. Bollywood is a free market at its most brutal and nepotism can heighten that," concluded the actor.



























CREDITS: FIRSTPOST