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Pooja Bedi On Nepotism Debate In Bollywood: There's Equal Opportunity For Everyone In Industry
Karan Johar's upcoming production Dostana 2 recently hit the news when it was revealed that Kartik Aaryan has been dropped out of the film. The makers of the film made an official announcement about recasting for the project which was to star the Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety actor alongside Janhvi Kapoor and Lakshya.
Post Kartik's exit from Dostana 2, various speculations started doing the rounds in the media about Kartik's ouster from the project. While some netizens blamed it on nepotism, others hinted at Kartik's ugly fallout with his co-star Janhvi.
Amid all this, Pooja Bedi while speaking with a leading tabloid, talked about the nepotism debate in Bollywood. Citing examples of outsiders who made it big in the industry, she said that an actor's career boils down to 'destiny, potential, and talent.'
ETimes quoted Pooja as saying, "I'll say that there's equal opportunity for everyone. We have Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan and so many other people who have come into the industry with no background and become icons. At the same time, we have people who've been part of the industry, and yet fizzled out. Kumar Gaurav made a great debut with 'Love Story,' but his career didn't take off. At the end of the day, it is about your effort, destiny, potential, and talent."
Pooja also talked about how she and her daughter Alaya F too, auditioned for their roles in Masaba Masaba and Jawaani Jaaneman respectively, adding that being privileged doesn't mean that they will get cast because they are somebody's child.
"Everybody works hard in the industry; it's a given. I think today, things are far more transparent than they ever were. You have to go and audition, my daughter knows how many auditions she had to go for, and how many rejections she faced before she was actually accepted into films. She got it all on her own merit. You can throw the argument of nepotism perhaps if people have used their pull. I have to audition to get a role in Masaba Masaba. The outside world can see it as an entitlement but that's because they choose to see it like that. People are envious of people who have a certain privilege. And yes, of course, we are privileged, but that doesn't mean that anybody will cast someone because there's somebody's child. A lot of outsiders are being given those opportunities, and I think it's fantastic," the Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar actress told the daily.
In the same interview, Pooja also mentioned that it's unfair to accuse people of nepotism because it results into celebrity bashing and trolling.
Coming back to Dostana 2, the makers are yet to announce the name of the actor who would be replacing Kartik in the film.
