Model Hailey Bieber’s ‘Nepo baby’ T-shirt rekindled the conversation of nepotism not only in the West, but also in India. Actor Gulshan Devaiah, however, believes it’s a “stupid argument”.

“It’s (being a part of the entertainment industry) not a government job, it’s a private enterprise. Everybody is going to have their own subjective opinion about who’s best-suited for a particular role and they are going to make their choice. It’s a really stupid argument that only talented people should get the job. Maybe that’s not the right thing to do, but that’s the way. You can’t whine and cry about it. This is not a selection for IAS or IPS that your rank matters,” Devaiah reasons.

The actor, who completes 13 years in the industry in 2023, admits that there have been instances wherein he didn’t get the role because of an actor with connections. He elaborates, “It is upsetting. I was close to getting some roles but people have veto power and I have no bitterness in my heart.”

The Duranga actor confesses, he “never felt like an outsider”, as he wishes people “were a little nicer to each other”. He adds, “It’s just human nature to blame everything for your misfortune. (But) we have to stop blaming others. The nepotism debate heated up since the death of Sushant (Singh Rajput; actor). There’s been a lot of negativity around things. Of course, there are power structures, and people in power do whatever they want, but it’s really not some battle. If you look at the industry in the South, it is making so many waves. You can name all the actors who are really popular and all of them come from families [that have a filmi background]. Everybody has their third and fourth generation working. But the Hindi film industry is far more democratic, as people like me, Vijay Varma, Sohum (Shah), Mrunal Thakur are all acting, doing well and making a living,” the actor ends.