Annu Kapoor: Expecting fair play in the film industry would be like living in a fool’s paradise

It’s undeniable that favouritism exists in the industry, says Annu Kapoor, reacting to Vidyut Jammwal’s recent tweet where he expressed displeasure on being snubbed by an OTT platform that didn’t send him an invitation for the announcement their new lineup of films that also included the latter’s Khuda Haafiz.

Kapoor, who plays a pivotal role in the film, rues that not everything is fair in this world. “Favouritism, hypocrisy, corruption have always been the integral part of the Indian society. The film industry is the by-product of this society, so it exists there as well. Expecting a genuine and fair play would be like living in a fool’s paradise. They have money, power, so either you dance to their tunes or not — no argument, no reasoning,” he says, adding that, we live in a world of “diabolic people and at this juncture, they’re only scared of corona”.

 After actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, the insider vs outsider debate was revived, and many actors came out and shared their experiences of facing favouritism in the industry. And Kapoor feels whether one wants or not, these discussions would bring about the “inevitable change”.

He elaborates, “Indian frenzy or hatred towards their idols has never been based on any particular logic. Either they build temples for their film stars or they start hating them to the extent that they often pass verdicts to prosecute the target. At times, the media desperately needs this for their own benefit and triggers the speculations.”

Weighing in on the nepotism debate, Kapoor calls it “purely a term as a patronage bestowed upon in politics or business world”.

Explaining his point, the 64-year-old says, “Son of an architect or doctor can become an architect or a doctor, but if a film star launches his son/daughter in the industry, then why cry nepotism? A father or a mother will do their duties by providing their children with support and guidance. How can that be wrong? If nepotism really worked then Vashu Bhagnani’s son, Harry Baweja’s son, Sunny Deol’s son, or even Amitabh Bachchan’s son would have been like Tom Cruise the star, but we all know it’s not factual.”

Citing examples of actors Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna , Dharmendra , Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar, who never had any godfather, Kapoor says yet they made it big. “So we should stop prosecution of people based on these logics. And it’s the prerogative of producers to select or reject any one,” he ends.

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