Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore recently shared her thoughts on the ongoing debate surrounding nepotism in the film industry. She believes it is quite natural for children to be influenced by their parents’ professions, whether they are doctors, lawyers, painters, or musicdigihunt.
In a conversation with her daughter Soha Ali Khan on the podcast “ALL ABOUT HER,” Sharmila was prompted to differentiate between nepotism and legacy. She illustrated her point by mentioning how Soha’s daughter, Inaaya, observes her mother at work. “Now, Inaaya is growing up with you; she sees you getting ready. If you are doing a podcast, she is interested, so obviously, she is getting influenced. It is like everybody does – like a doctor’s children, lawyer’s children, painter’s children, so they all look up to their parents and they all want to emulate them; there is nothing wrong with that,” Sharmila explained.
Moreover, she emphasized that while a prominent figure might secure their child a first opportunity in the industry, ultimately, acceptance as an artist depends on the audience. If an influential person has substantial clout, they might secure a second chance for their child, but that represents the limits of their influence.
Sharmila also discussed the financial risks producers take when casting actors. “If you call it nepotism, maybe producers have to spend a lot of money on advertising. They can say, ‘so and so’s son… so and so’s daughter,’ so it is already a little well-known, but after the first film, nobody can push that person,” she added.