‘I’M AN ACTOR BECAUSE OF NEPOTISM’

Emraan Hashmi says he got into films easily, as Mahesh Bhatt is his uncle

Actor Emraan Hashmi clearly doesn’t believe in mincing words, and that’s more so when he’s talking about controversies. This time, it’s with regard to the nepotism debate that has rocked the film industry. The infamous chant ‘nepotism rocks!’ at a recent film awards ceremony only added fuel to the fire. Emraan unapologetically says that it was his “inside connection” that landed him his first film, Footpath (2003). “Yes, nepotism exists in our industry, and I got a break because of it. If my uncle [Mahesh Bhatt], who is a producer and director, hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have been an actor,” he says. However, Emraan insists that he initially didn’t want to take up acting as a career option. “My case was different. There was no dying need for me to become an actor or be a part of this industry. I had just finished college and I stepped into films,” he adds. The actor feels that people will definitely have biased views about their own families. “I wouldn’t push my sevenyear-old son, Ayaan, into Bollywood. But tomorrow, if he wants to become an actor, it won’t be difficult for him, as his father is an actor and producer,” he says.

However, Emraan feels that the easy start could later pose a risk to his son’s career. “The industry will try to box my son into the image that his father had and snatch away his individuality. They won’t let him start afresh, like an outsider,” he says.

Emraan will next be seen in Baadshaho, directed by Milan Luthria.

I wouldn’t push my son, Ayaan, into Bollywood. But tomorrow, if he wants to become an actor, it won’t be difficult for him. EMRAAN HASHMI, ACTOR