Children of the glitter gods

Bollywood is no exception to the rule of blood being thicker than the water. Sons and daughters of those in the film world never fail to squeeze the bloodline for the mileage it can bring,
writes Shoma A. Chatterji

Look at cinema hoardings or surf channels for film promos and you can count the sons and daughters of Bollywood in Bollywood off your fingers. Who do you see? Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Zaid Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Taneesha, Kaajol, Karishma Kapoor, Raima and Ria Sen, Konkona Sen, Kareena Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Shorey, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Ajay Devgun. Every single one of these have drawn, while some of them are still drawing, enormous mileage from their bloodline, via their fathers, mothers, uncles and aunts. Maybe, not all of them have been able to hit big time. But their lineage gives them an advantage ‘outsiders’ like Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Ayesha Takia and their tribe have no access to.

Raj Kapoor took Wordsworth’s line from Rainbow seriously. The song Hum na rahenge, tum na rahoge, rah jaayengi nishaaniyan in Sri 420 picturised on his three little children Randhir, Rita and Rishi, clad in raincoats, walking on the rain-washed streets of Mumbai against the backdrop of a fencing, is a case in point. Raj Kapoor, the eldest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, withdrew from theatre, his father’s passion, to extend the borders of his life by producing films under his own banner, RK Films. This marked a milestone in the history of cinema where heirs of film personalities took on the mantle their fathers, and sometimes, mothers, handed over to them. Raj Kapoor’s two younger siblings, Shammi and Shashi Kapoor, later made their mark as independent actors with their distinctive style. Among Raj’s three sons, Randhir and Rishi earned fame with their histrionic talent. Rishi’s name had box-office value but Randhir’s did not though both of them are brilliant actors. In this game of snakes and ladders, the youngest son stepped into the mouth of a snake and came sliding down, never to be seen again after a few films.

There was an unwritten taboo on bahus and betis in the Kapoor family from entering filmdom. Babita and Neetu Singh had to give up their careers when they married the Kapoor sons. But Karisma and Kareena broke the rule and successfully so to prove what they are capable of. When Raj Kapoor’s brother-in-law Premnath realised that as hero, the audience did not care for him, he evolved into a villain as he grew old. Prem Kishen, the older of his two sons, could do little in films and switched over to producing soaps and serials for television.

Some sons and daughters have far surpassed their parents. Hrithik Roshan has proved with Krrish and Dhoom2, that his launch film Kaho Na Pyar Hai was no flash in the pan. Father Rakesh Roshan, elder of the two sons of music composer Roshan, was a good actor. His work in Khel Khel Mein, Kaam Chor, Priyatama, Khubsoorat and Aap ke Deewane stand testimony to his low-key, understated performances. Yet, no B.R. Chopra, Yash Chopra, Raj Kapoor or Prakash Mehra once took him on.

Shobhana Samarth, the most successful ‘Sita’ among all screen and television Ramayanas ever made, produced a film to launch the eldest of her three daughters, Nutan. In course of time, she far surpassed her mother in commercial success, in acting talent and in versatility. Films like Seema, Sujata, Bandini, Dilli ka Thug, Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, Baarish made her an actress to contend with. She got a couple of Filmfare Awards as Best Actress. In course of time, she seamlessly slipped into character roles and excelled here as well. But her son Mohnish Bahl, despite having starry qualities like heritage, looks and acting talent, failed to strike it big except as a stereotyped, mannerism-trapped villain in many films. He is now doing television.

Nutan’s sister Tanuja, was a fine blend of glamour, good looks and talent. She invested her characters with a sophistication and finesse not seen in her peers. She produced big-box office hits like Jeene Ki Raah with Jeetendra, Haathi Mere Saathi with Rajesh Khanna and Imtihaan with Vinod Khanna. She handed over her legacy to her two daughters Kajol and Taneesha. Both are brilliant. But while Kajol is an all-time success with films like KKKG, Gupt, Karan-Arjun, Baazigar, Dushman and now Fanaah, Taneesha could not gain even a quarter of the success her older sister has, though she is game about revealing skin and doing intimate scenes.

It is not all ladders in this snakes-and-ladders story. Look at how Rajendra Kumar, known as Jubilee Kumar for giving out one Silver Jubilee hit after another, priced his son Kumar Gaurav right out of the film industry when Gaurav’s launch pad Love Story, was a thumping success. Kumar Gaurav could never rise above this big setback. But the clever Pooja Bhatt, daughter of Mahesh Bhatt, soon realised her market value as an actress and switched over to production. If Wordsworth wrote, "child is the father of man," it is time to redefine the statement. Ask Jeetendra’s daughter Ekta Kapoor.

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