Nepotism has been a talking point that has haunted Bollywood for ages. Most of these star kids belonging to leading actors claim that their surname assures them nothing, but that’s far from the truth. Being part of a known family opens doors for one in the industry. Family connections, better resources, and higher media coverage give star kids an edge over other aspiring actors hailing from non-film backgrounds. This is a list of 20 Bollywood actors who have carried forward their family legacy onto the big screen:
- Alia Bhatt.
Alia Bhatt is the daughter of famous filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan. She grew to be one of the prime actresses of Bollywood. She began acting in the movie “Student of the Year” and then took her time into proving herself in acting with critically acclaimed movies like “Raazi” and “Gully Boy.”
- Ranbir Kapoor
Born to the highly reputed family of Kapoors, Ranbir Kapoor was born to two great actors, namely Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. With films like Barfi!, Rockstar, and Sanju, Ranbir has been able to put himself among the top-ranking actors of his age.
- Sonakshi Sinha.
Daughter of the legendary actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha, Sonakshi shot into Bollywood with a loud roar opposite Salman Khan in Dabangg. Since then, she has started signing Bollywood blockbusters repeatedly due to her strong screen presence.
- Varun Dhawan.
Varun had already established his connections with the industry early on, since his father was the popular director David Dhawan. Starting with “Student of the Year”, he went about doing several successful films like “Badlapur” and “Judwaa 2”.
- Sara Ali Khan.
She is Sara Ali Khan, the daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, who beguiles many hearts with her charisma and adroit acting. She started off with Kedarnath, after which she has been churning out successes like Simmba.
- Janhvi Kapoor.
Born to iconic actress Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, Janhvi had quite a legacy to live up to. She lived up to much of it and continued creating a stir even after her promising debut in Dhadak.
- Arjun Kapoor
He was born to Boney Kapoor, a producer. Arjun started his acting career with the movie Ishaqzaade and is now working in a whole range of movies—from action to comedy.
- Ananya Pandey
The daughter of actor Chunky Panday, Ananya started off with Student of the Year 2 and went on to captivate a sizable following among the younger generation with her films Pati, Patni Aur Woh.
- Tiger Shroff
With Jackie Shroff being his father, Tiger has his acting career mostly anchored in action films like Baaghi and War. Since then, he is thus followed, praised, and respected for his athleticism and his martial arts.
- Karan Deol
Karan’s father is an action star in Bollywood, whereas he has entered the industry with Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas and is still trying very hard to keep up an identity far away from the family’s legacy.
- Abhishek Bachchan.
Abhishek Bachchan’s career was a mixed bag, considering he is the son of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan, Bollywood royalty. Besides such comparisons with his father, he did well in movies like Guru and Manmarziyaan.
- Shraddha Kapoor
Shraddha Kapoor is one of them, the daughter of actor Shakti Kapoor; she stepped into Bollywood with the movie Aashiqui 2 and then continued acting in several hit movies like Stree and Chhichhore.
- Ishaan Khatter.
Ishaan is Neelima Azim’s son and Shahid Kapoor’s half-brother; his works in Beyond the Clouds and Dhadak do nothing but mesmerize the audience with his acting capability.
- Athiya Shetty.
The daughter of actor Suniel Shetty, Athiya started her career with the movie Hero. Though she has just started her career, she continues to make earnest attempts to establish herself in Bollywood.
- Pooja Bhatt
Pooja, daughter of Mahesh Bhatt and half-sister to Alia Bhatt, was one of the leading actresses in Bollywood throughout the 1990s. She made a comeback with Sadak 2 after a long break from acting.
- Soha Ali Khan
She is the daughter of the popular actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Soha has acted in several films such as Rang De Basanti and Tum Mile. She shares her acting legacy with her brother Saif Ali Khan.
- Harshvardhan Kapoor.
Son of actor Anil Kapoor and brother of the famous Sonam Kapoor, Harshvardhan began his acting career with the movie Mirzya. He is often known for his offbeat choices against mainstream conventionalism.
- Aadar Jain.
Aadar Jain, cousin of Ranbir Kapoor from the Kapoor dynasty, made his debut in Qaidi Band. He is still a growing blossom in the industry with a lot of familial support behind him.
- Meezaan Jafri.
Launched with Malaal, Meezaan is actor Jaaved Jaaferi’s son. With stunning features and good acting skills, it is no surprise that Meezaan is all set to make giant leaps in the industry.
- Zayed Khan.
Zayed is the son of actor Sanjay Khan and debuted with the film Chura Liya Hai Tumne. He did go on to do many films but could not replicate or come anywhere close to that.
Conclusion: Though these actors are talented, no doubt, the reason behind their uprising to Bollywood is related to their family backgrounds. One of the hot topics when taking the film industry as context is nepotism. People have their views: some view it as an ill-gotten gain, while others see it as a normal convention in the industry. Despite this fact, these offspring of celebrities are trying their best to get recognition in films. Whether their success remains defined by the question of talent or that of legacy remains up for debate.
