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Shah Rukh Khan has no opinion on nepotism and wants you to know it

"I am a Delhi boy, who went to Mumbai at 25. Everybody accepted me so I don't understand this talk," shares the actor

05 Aug, 2017

Nepotism has been a hot topic in Bollywood lately but it seems like the king of the fraternity doesn't even understand it.

Shah Rukh Khan, who comes from a non-acting background said that he doesn't get the discussions on the subject and hence, doesn't have an opinion on it.

"I don't understand this (nepotism). How can I understand it? I am a Delhi boy, who went to Mumbai at the age of 25. There, everybody loved me and accepted me. So I don't understand this talk," Shah Rukh told IANS here.

Shah Rukh, who is the father of three kids (Aryan, Suhana and AbRam) with wife Gauri Khan, added: "I want my kids to make a name for themselves on their own feet. If they want to become a marine biologist, then she should become that. If they want to become an actor or a filmmaker, then that's also great.

"I don't understand this discussion. When I hear the word 'nepotism', I feel the other person is talking about Napoleon. Even though I know enough English, still I don't understand it and the discussion. Whether I agree or disagree -- I don't even understand it so how can I have an opinion?"

The nepotism in the industry was called out first by Queen actress Kangana Ranaut when she called filmmaker Karan Johar a "flag bearer of nepotism" on his popular chat show Koffee With Karan.

Later, Johar, with actors Saif Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan poked fun at Kangana at the IIFA Awards last month by saying that "nepotism rocks". They later apologised for their act.

Comments

Muhammad Faheem Aug 05, 2017 11:32am

wow when it hits them where it hurts they dont know what simple words means and neither they know how to use dictionary or google. Kangana was right not just Politics and Entertainment but nepotism is active and thriving in almost every field throughout subcontinent

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Asad sadick Aug 05, 2017 12:18pm

Nepotism in the film industry or for that matter in any professional branch does help open doors. In the long run, however, and specially in the movie industry, you need the skills, aura, fan following to make it big. You have no guarantee. Many examples are available. Deepika and Shahrukh made it on their own. Amitabhs son couldn't make it and so on. I find this debate waste of time. Same is in cricket. Hanifs son Shoaib or Gavaskars son couldn't make it.

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Mahmood Aug 05, 2017 01:08pm

Who cares!? Opinions are like noses. Every creature has one.

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Aarti Aug 05, 2017 01:42pm

@Asad sadick Nepotism was 1% back then. So legends like amitabh, aamir, Sri Devi, Kishore Kumar, Dileep Kumar, talent like Srk, Akshay bred in. But presently it's closing door to talented outsiders which is harmful to industry. When you only have movie options of nepotism - tiger Shroff vs Varun Rawan movies running parallel in cinemas, then it leaves audience with no options but to chose less worst amongst the two. So naturaly people can't select talent over nepotistic kids unless one give outsiders the chance.

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Rajat Aug 05, 2017 02:00pm

SRK was struggler and a outsider. 20 years back he would have supported Kangana's view and stud in favour of outsiders. Remembering his own struggle and difficulty. But today he won't do that and will keep mum over it, because he wants to use the same privilege offered by nepotism i.e. to launch his talent"less" sons and daughters aryan, Suhana, Abram as actors in Bollywood to continue his legacy. So it's given he won't know what nepotism is now. Everytime one give chance to mediocre nepotism born kids and rejects talented strugglers who audition for the role, one kills fresh talents who could have been Amitabh or nawazzuddin in making.

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Abdulla Hussain Aug 05, 2017 02:13pm

Thank you for the clarification for the Indian readers, not important for others.

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Ayaan Aug 05, 2017 02:24pm

@Asad sadick That worked because outsiders like Virat Kohli, Shikar Dhawan, Saurabh, Dravid etc were given a chance. If doors were closed to newcomers and only "sons" of former cricket legends were given a chance, one would have no houde but to select best in worst amongst star kids for the team. Indian Cricket would have then been doomed. Outsider/Talents like virat Kohli would have never made up to the top. They came up, because nepotism wasn't allowed to throttle the industry like in did in fields like business, politics, film industry etc in whole South asian countries.

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Taimoor Aug 05, 2017 02:46pm

This is why I like west. All top companies microsoft, Google, Apple etc didn't tranfer CEO post to their kids but gave it to outsiders. They choose merit over blood. But look at our politics from Sharifs to Gandhis it's filled with nepotism. Same is the case in business and other sector where we choose blood ties over merit. Talent and innovation killer. No country succeeds with such flawed culture.

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Waseem Akhtar Mufti Aug 05, 2017 02:53pm

My dear Shahrukh Khan. Pakistan and India are completely different than what they were 25-30 years ago. Both countries have brought lots of changes in their culture and religious intensity. It is mainly because of the change in economic and education status of India and Pakistan. Surprisingly western countries like Europe and America have not changed entirely as compared to our countries. This is because their cultural values, economy, education and industrial growth has been much stronger and stable than Ind and Pak. Their moral values are higher than Ind Pak.

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SyedChaudhryGangaDinKhan Aug 05, 2017 02:59pm

Shah Rukh Khan has inflated opinion about himself and doesn't want you to know that he was detained twice on suspicion of terrorism. That's the king? He has survived because of female counter parts, good music and lyrics and choreography. I have yet to see his acting talent.

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Thoroughthinker Aug 05, 2017 04:09pm

Very silly of him to say so.

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Usman Khan Aug 05, 2017 04:25pm

Right. So I guess the likes of Tushar Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Bachchan are in the film Industry due to their sheer talent ???

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