It all starts with ‘Sharma ji ka beta’ and then gradually evolves into ‘Khandan’ and ‘maan maryada.’ Yeah, let’s be honest, we all have been there! Indians and their obsessions with making comparisons always go hand-in-hand.
But no, it isn’t just us! Don’t worry about it! It’s also the star kids out there in Bollywood. All their soft launches are giving a solid backfire.
See, we have had our prime years watching the grandeur of Khans, the Bachchans, the Kapoors, the Akshays, and more. The shadows of them and their work from their young days still stay grounded in the back of our hearts. Days passed, years passed, and we still could not get over it.
Why? Well, the extravaganza on the screen, you see! The chiffon sarees, the melodrama, the songs (even in an alien movie- Koi…Mil Gaya) …something Indians back then loved!
But it wasn’t always the extravaganza on the screens, but also the vanity these stars held when off the screens. Something we don’t get now naturally, because yes, internet and social media.
Do you get to draw the inference? Yes, Exposure! It all begins and ends with exposure. And the language of the exposure changes with the evolution of our thoughts, the very present moment.
So, what exposure are these star kids getting?
You see, they aren’t the only star kids placed in the market. The Kapoors too have launched their starkids; Salman Khan too is a starkid, but what went right with them and what went wrong with the ones now?
Almost 24/7, we are scrolling and swiping. Our eyes are so accustomed to these faces now. And the reels mostly come out as harsh slapstick critics of the starkids now. That way, we almost have most of the audience who can’t even relate to them.
Even the Gen-Z now don’t relate to their Gen-Z showbiz counterparts, but they do with Ranbir Kapoor.
If we tell the younger generation that ‘our days were better,’ they start to believe that, the more they watch it. We are repeating what the boomers did to us.
We are doing the same ‘Sharma Ji Ka Beta,’ with a newer tonality.
What is pitiful is the constant comparisons we (millennials – Gen-X) draw between the star kids now and their parents. The memes, the reels that we share, almost overshadow the talents that the starkids might have in them. Also, a bit goes to the 2020 nepotism debate.
Earlier, we had the controversy-ridden Aryan Khan making rounds on social media, so many media trials happened.
And now we see a reel making rounds where Aryan Khan and SRK both share the screens, where Aryan is directing his father for more takes and shots, and SRK gets pissed and asks ‘Tere baap ka raj hai kya?’ And Aryan Khan smiles and says, ‘Yes.’ We understand the ‘honour’ and the ‘tribute.’ And it’s the moment that got us almost gaga. But does Aryan get the light here? No!
Suhana Khan? The young lady has always gotten the attention because of her father. Her acting career has been by and large compared with SRK after her debut. That way, she never truly gets to experience what lies within her.
Ibrahim is currently knocking all over the market. Every time he gets covered by the media, we see the reels on Instagram, and the pages call him ‘Copy-paste’ of Saif Ali Khan. So, we almost keep Saif entangled with wherever Ibrahim goes. Silly comparisons of Saif’s young onscreen days Vs Ibrahim now nearly make Saif more marketable than Ibrahim here.
So, the onus of ‘changing’ our behaviour is slightly on us too! We are not moving on.
Everything should be looked at with a ‘virgin’ mind. Everyone needs their own space to evolve. The kindness is missing, and the generosity is missing.
And we should pass on some ‘constructive criticisms’ and not instead draw these out of the blue ‘generic’ comparisons and make the starkids feel they are so ‘unworthy.’
Yes, it also has to do with the starkids. They need to level up, for sure! Maybe do more and more tenacious training, understand the psyche of the audience, and learn the whereabouts of the industry. Just how Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Karishma Kapoor, and other popularly successful star kids did. We enjoy their work on the screen.
Learning and Rome both can’t be done/built in a day!
Somewhere, the now starkids are almost inclined and relying on the legacies their parents put up in the past, expecting that it would sail their boat off to the shore too.
Maybe step out a little from the pampered shadow of their parents, and witness the world with naked eyes.
