Nepotism is an ineluctable Indian truth. The children of industrialists take on the mantle of their parents. Jobs are obtained with sifarish (influence). Our politics are dynastic. The film industry consists of second, third and even fourth generations all doing the same thing. So nepotism in Bollywood is an undeniable reality. Yet star kids moan about not having it easy. They refuse to acknowledge their nepotistic privilege and insist that their ‘struggle’ is real. So when starkid Ananya Panday did some moaning of her own, actor Siddhant Chaturvedi decided to give her a wakeup call.
‘I overcompensate’ she says. There are a lot of indulgent smiles and nods around the table. “My dad didn’t do a Dharma film or go on Koffee with Karan.” Someone else responds with sympathetic comment. And then Siddhant Chaturvedi nails it with this: "jahan humare sapne pure hote hai wahan inka struggle shuru hota hai."
Chaturvedi's simple, pithy reply put things into perspective. Perhaps it did for others who live in their privileged bubble as well.
Most commentators felt that star-kids just need to acknowledge their own enormous privilege which gives them a huge advantage. Not acknowledging this trivialises the genuine struggles of others.
The video of Panday's long spiel and the pithy reply to it went viral and prompted a lot of reactions. So of course the memes started.
Quiet. Polite. But undeniable!
Her concept of ‘struggle’ and ‘not having it easy’ are so far off the mark that the tweeple had little sympathy for the poor little privileged girl.
Star-kids are catapulted to fame without having to lift a finger; often devoid of looks or discernable talent. If they choose to speak about their nonexistent ‘struggle’ they have to be prepared for some pushback.
Panday’s yardstick of struggle and the mention of the TV show seemed to have annoyed a lot of people.
One commentator pointed out that Robert Downey Jr had also never been on the show. Another sarcastically tweeted that no one should have to undergo the terrible struggle that Panday did. So here’s the thing: people are more appreciative of people who acknowledge their privilege and have the honesty to admit that others have it much, much harder than they do.
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