Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; August 30, 2020)

Actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death by suicide on June 14 has once again triggered the insider-outsider debate in Bollywood. When Bombay Times got in touch with veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, whose father G P Sippy was a film producer, and whose son Rohan has also made films like Kuch Naa Kaho, Bluffmaster!, Dum Maaro Dum and Nautanki Saala, he said, “Nepotism exists all over the world, in every business. If my father belonged to a particular profession — be it a doctor or a lawyer — I am not denying that the youngsters of my family will always have an advantage. They can avail the benefit of our experience. However, in the end, it will give you a stepping stone and nothing more than that. Whether it is films or any other field, if you don’t have the acumen or talent, nepotism doesn’t help. It’s a fact that not every star kid has been successful.”

He added, “People feel that film families always have an advantage. But, it is only an advantage, not a handover.”

Meanwhile, the filmmaker, who has directed one of India’s best known classics, Sholay, is currently celebrating 45 years of the film. When asked why the movie, after all these years, has not lost its magic, he replied, “Sholay is one film that has stood out. It is difficult to explain how it became a cult movie, because had I known the formula, I would have done it all over again. I have made good films before and after Sholay, too, but it is not easy to explain a phenomenon. Everything just fell in place for the film. It was very tough initially, but the end result was excellent.”