When dad calls the shots
Bollywood has always been witness to a number of collaborations. But one trend that is catching the eye is actors who are being directed by their parents. After Sunny Deol recently launched his son Karan Deol in Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, David Dhawan is directing Varun Dhawan for the third time in Coolie No 1, Rakesh Roshan is helming Krrish 4 starring son Hrithik Roshan — marking their fifth collaboration — and Mahesh Bhatt’s directorial comeback Sadak 2 features his star daughter Alia Bhatt. Also, Aamir Khan has reportedly spoken about launching his son Junaid soon.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Trade expert Atul Mohan agrees there are a lot of expectations from these projects, but at the same time there’s a lot of responsibility attached, too. “Comparisons are evident and living up to that is a must. Then there comes the nepotism debate. Such projects need to be handled sensitively,” he says. Alia says she knows expectations would be high, but she can’t think about that while working. “Sadak 2 is a very special project and working with family is always special. I’m just concentrating on putting in my best effort,” she adds.
ALL ABOUT COMFORT!
No doubt when a director is directing his son or daughter, he or she would highlight the actor’s best side. But David says, “It is not like that. But yes, I’m more comfortable with him. I’ve worked with every hero in the industry — from Amitabh Bachchan to Riteish Deshmukh — over 35 heroes. Now with my son, I’ve found the comfort level, and I’m enjoying it. If he wasn’t good, I would not have cast him in my films.”
Trade expert Joginder Tuteja says the camaraderie can be a double-edged sword. “The comfort level is there, but whether that helps or not depends on how the story and narrative is being treated. Going overboard because of the emotional connection might be a hindrance,” he adds.
EASY SELL
There’s always an extra hype, but that may not end up being a saviour.
“Pal Pal... received mixed response. Thanks to social media, a lot of things are taken care of. But nothing can manipulate the final result if the story is not good,” says Atul
SURE-SHOT SUCCESS?
Hit or flop isn’t in anyone’s hand. Sunny tried his best to rope in a good director for Karan’s debut, but when it did not materialise, he decided to take the responsibility himself. “Everything comes with a challenge. For my son’s film, I tried my level best to get the best of directors. People think we can get the best (names on board) in no time. The reality is different,” he had said in an interview. But as Atul says, only Friday will decide a film’s fate. “It can’t be predicted. There have been times when films like Machine (2017) failed and Suneel Darshan’s attempts to launch his son Shiv failed twice,” he adds.