ISHAAN’S FATHER DEFENDS HIM IN NEPOTISM ROW
You are a star only when the public accepts you, and it doesn’t matter where you are coming from, and what kind of a launch you are getting — everyone has to begin somewhere RAJESH KHATTAR
ACTOR
Actor Rajesh Khattar is a prominent name in Bollywood, having been part of films such as Don 2 (2011), Khiladi 786 (2012), and Race 2 (2013). Rajesh has dubbed for Hollywood actors Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr, too.
Now, it’s son, Ishaan Khatter’s turn to prove his mettle. Ishaan is Rajesh’s son with ex-wife, actor Neelima Azim. His first film, Beyond the Clouds, has been directed by Majid Majidi, and his first commercial venture, Dhadak, opposite actor Sridevi’s daughter Jhanvi Kapoor, is creating a lot of buzz.
Happy with the way Ishaan’s career is starting off, Rajesh says, “It’s important that your kids get to do what they want to, and not what you want them to do. If they are fortunate enough to go this way, you should be happy.”
However, the choice Karan Johar has made for the film’s lead pair has seen severe criticism, and has stoked the nepotism debate again.
While Jhanvi’s parents are actor Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, Ishaan’s half- brother, actor Shahid Kapoor (son of actor Pankaj Kapur and Neelima), shares a close bond with him.
Rajesh says, “This doesn’t make sense in this profession [acting] especially, but it exists far more in the corporate world. There, if the son is incompetent, you still make him the CEO because he will be surrounded by intelligent people and the company can still run. But here (in Bollywood), what you are selling is yourself. You are the product. If you are not accepted, where will nepotism come?”
He further adds, “There are superstars whose sons are sitting at home and are nowhere [right now].”
“You are a star only when the public accepts you, and it doesn’t matter where you are coming from, and what kind of a launch you are getting — everyone has to begin somewhere. And the real battle lies ahead,” explains Rajesh, who’s currently busy working on three web-series, out of which one will have an international reach.