Good actors often don't get opportunities, says Saif Ali Khan
What's the story
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput's tragic demise has re-ignited pertinent debates and discussions around nepotism and favoritism in the film industry.
And while many still shy away from addressing these issues, actor Saif Ali Khan has no qualms in accepting that he is indeed privileged. He also said that many talented actors are often deprived of adequate opportunities.
Here's more on what he said.
Details
There has always been a sense of privilege, said Saif
In a recent interaction with film journalist Anupama Chopra, Saif said, "Being the kind of person I am, the films that I have done, there has also been a sense of privilege."
But, he asserted he wanted to shed his "privileged" image and earn respect of his colleagues with his acclaimed performance as Langda Tyagi in Vishal Bhardwaj's Omkara (2006).
Statement
'Some of us had doors opened by privilege of birth'
Saif added that the distribution of work in the showbiz is lopsided and while some come entirely on the basis of talent, many enter the industry through their privilege.
"Some of us have had doors opened for us by privilege of our birth, the parents we've had," he said.
For the uninitiated, Saif is the son of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore.
Quote
'Talented actors often don't get opportunities'
"It happens a lot in India that there are good actors that do not get the opportunities that sometimes some privileged people do," Saif added. Notably, his own daughter Sara Ali Khan is a product of nepotism, some might argue.
Criticism
In 2017, Saif was criticized about his nepotism jokes
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that Saif has spoken about his influential background.
In 2017, he, along with filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Varun Dhawan had infamously chanted the slogan "Nepotism rocks!" at an award show.
Saif later clarified his stance in a letter. He wrote, "It's not something that I wrote or something believe in. It was a joke on ourselves."
Demise
Sushant's demise opened up many conversations
Sushant, star of films like M.S. Dhoni and Chhichhore, died by suicide at his Mumbai apartment on June 14. He was only 34. The actor had been battling depression for the past few months.
After his demise, actors like Raveena Tandon alleged that "mean girl groups" and "camps" do exist in Bollywood, while others accused big stars like Salman Khan of bullying.