The actor, who tweeted about outsiders not getting equal opportunities, says that the nepotism debate is flawed. The casting process and what the audience consumes are also to be blamed, and not just star kids, he feels
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; July 20, 2020)

Recently on social media, actor Avinash Tiwary, known for his work in Sajid Ali’s film Laila Majnu and web films, Bulbbul and Ghost Stories, reacted to R Balki’s take on nepotism. A few days ago, in an interview talking about the debate on nepotism, Balki had said, “Find me a better actor than Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor and we’ll argue.” Addressing the filmmaker’s views, director Shekhar Kapur tweeted, “Have huge respect for you, Balki. But I just saw Kai Po Che again last night. Three new young actors at that time. And stunning believable performances by each (sic).”

While writer and editor Apurva Asrani agreed with Avinash, filmmaker Anubhav Sinha defended Balki, and said, “I think what he meant was that they are both truly deserving stars despite their illustrious pedigree. And I agree with that.”

Speaking about his response to Balki and the nepotism discussion at large, Avinash in a chat with Bombay Times reasoned, “Everyone who is talented should get an opportunity. When I read Mr Balki’s statement, it almost said that yehi do log talented hain (Ranbir and Alia). I am not saying that look at me, I am more talented, but there are others who could be, but do they get a chance? I got my first film as a lead actor (Laila Majnu) after toiling for 15 years. I gave 21 screen tests for it and waited for three years for it to be made. Not many people can even afford to sustain this long. I am glad we have casting directors now, but how many casting directors cast the lead actors of a big film? Has Mr Balki found a casting director to cast his leads? The lead actors are often selected by the filmmakers. So, how would he know if there are better actors out there or not?”

He further explained, “Of course, Alia and Ranbir are brilliant actors and they would stand out even if they were outsiders. If Ranbir wasn’t from a film family, he would have probably taken 10 years to get a Rockstar, but he would have still bagged that kind of a film. Talent will shine through, and good work will be rewarded, but it isn’t a level playing field. Ayushmann Khurrana has taken eight or nine years to be a mainstream hero, Kartik Aaryan delivers 100-crore films today, but he too has been acting since 2010. That doesn’t happen with someone like Sara Ali Khan, who has a Simmba even before the release of Kedarnath. That’s an amazing privilege to have.”

Avinash, however, argues that we cannot blame the star kids here. “If my father was a big actor or producer, why wouldn’t I make use of my privilege? I hold the media and the audience accountable. The audience is the consumer. If they pay and watch cinema that is also being made beyond the mainstream, then it equalises things. Laila Majnu didn’t last in theatres even for a week. Why didn’t the audience go and watch Sushant’s Sonchiriya in theatres? It was a good film. Ab sab behti Ganga mein haath dho rahe hain. Ab yeh nepotism ka trend chal raha hai, so let’s talk about it,” he said.

The actor pointed out that the film industry is big enough to accommodate everyone, so the real issue lies in the casting of big-budget films. He explained, “Around 95 per cent of people in this industry are outsiders, 5 per cent may be insiders, but the mainstream is dominated by this 5 per cent, and all the eyeballs are on them. Most star kids assure filmmakers the returns as there’s so much media attention on them. The nepotism argument is flawed. We can’t blame a few individuals for nepotism. It’s the system and culture that needs to change. As an outsider, you are just happy to get an opportunity. My fight is not for validation. It’s for acknowledgement of my existence as an actor.”

When asked what is his take on the flak that Karan Johar has been drawing in the past month, he said, “Karan Johar gets a lot of flak for nepotism, but it was he, who cast me in Ghost Stories without even taking my screen test. I didn’t know him. I am not the kind to approach people easily either. So, I have seen both sides.”

Elaborating on his beginnings in showbiz, the actor said, “I started with a Doordarshan show for the acclaimed filmmaker, the late Lekh Tandon. In 2014, I did the TV show Yudh, starring Amitabh Bachchan. I thought it will change my life, but nothing happened as no one saw it. In 2015, I did a lovely ensemble film, Tu Hai Mera Sunday. I met Sajid (Imtiaz Ali’s brother) at the end of 2015 for Laila Majnu. They liked my screen test and verbally told me that I was their guy. I was barred from doing other work. But the whole of 2016 they kept auditioning other actors as I wasn’t mainstream enough. I remember telling Sajid that there could be better looking actors than me, but there’s no one who can play that part better. It took three years to make the film and within a week of its release, it disappeared from theatres. So, you are obviously upset. Aur kitna ladein? So, over the years, you learn to let go and focus on bigger things and life beyond movies.”

Dear Mr Imtiaz Ali,

As audiences laughed heartily in scenes which were supposed to be moving and emotional in your recently released flick Love Aaj Kal, I underwent through a mixture of emotions. Yes, even I was amused by the absurdities of what was unfolding in my front of eyes. But at the same time, I was also heartbroken that the same man who gave us films like Jab We Met, the old Love Aaj Kal and Highway is today being ridiculed in such a way.

When I see the recent films of Ram Gopal Varma or Subhash Ghai, I often wonder how these directors who once gave legendary and classic films are today delivering such pathetic kind of movies. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that you, too, would get into this category, after the twin debacles of Jab Harry Met Sejal and Love Aaj Kal. I am sure you have gone through the reviews and what people thought about the film. But may I suggest that if possible, please revisit your old classics and understand what worked so well with the audiences. You came up with path-breaking stuff in your films at one point like break-up party and setting your ex-partner’s photograph on fire and then flushing it. These quirks were very cool and cathartic and youth could identify with it easily. In the new Love Aaj Kal, it seemed like a wannabe version of you. You were trying too hard to impress the young crowd and you thought by showing them confused and not knowing how to healthily express their emotions will earn you brownie points. But the opposite happened, as you can see.

Then you attempted to put a character called Justice Chaudhary and it misfired and how. Firstly, the placement of the scene was wrong. His sequence comes immediately after the interval and there have been reports of viewers not even realizing that the second half has started! And did you conclude that just by showing that this stand-up comedian is a rage and that people are sharing his videos on Instagram will make you ‘cool’? I strongly feel this could have been a nice touch but his dialogues were so poor. In fact, the entire film has mostly bad dialogues that fail to elevate the impact.

Jab We Met’s Geet, old Love Aaj Kal’s Meera and Highway’s Veera were memorable female characters from your films. They were flawed and confused but there was so much depth to them. Audiences fell in love with them and many wished they had a Meera or Geet as their partner. Zoe, in the new Love Aaj Kal, meanwhile, is someone you wish you’ll never meet in your life. Female audiences loved you so much and were your biggest fans. But today, you have let them down.

Not just your fans, even your lead actors’ reputation has suffered. Sara Ali Khan has given a fine performance but since she played the obnoxious Zoe, even she became a laughing stock. One can hardly blame her here. She’s new and you are someone who has delivered classic films. Obviously, she has just followed your instructions. She was perhaps hoping that she’ll have a landmark performance and her career will get better the way it happened after Alia Bhatt and Kareena Kapoor Khan worked with you. The same applies for Kartik Aaryan – he was hoping for a Ranbir Kapoor’s Rockstar-zone performance. Today, their credibility has taken a beating.

One can’t deny that there were several things in the film that you got right. Randeep Hooda’s track was interesting and the twist in the tale is something that no one saw it coming. A few aspects and touches were a treat like the graffiti on the walls, an upscale bar giving out tequila shots from a tiny window resembling a hole-in-the-wall cheap liquor shop, etc. I also liked the way Veer’s desktop screen was mounted on a height as this is how many creative people have their system arranged at their place. A few dialogues had the classic Imtiaz Ali touch especially when Zoe says that her work is her boyfriend.

And these minute aspects give us hope that we still haven’t lost the kal-ka-Imtiaz Ali forever. It’ll be great if you can team up with some young writer, buzzing with great ideas, and who is in sync with your line of thought. I know you usually write your own stories and scripts but in the past, you did make an exception for Rockstar which was co-written by Muazzam Beg. Also, desperate times call for desperate measures. You have some interesting ideas to tell and it’s important it doesn’t get lost when transforming it on celluloid. A support of another writer can be a boon in such cases. If the writing is overall strong, then a few minuses will be ignored. I remember while watching the old Love Aaj Kal, viewers also laughed in the scene where Meera claims “Main baad mein maafi maang lungi tumse.” Viewers, however, got a lot to take back home with that film and they didn’t mind a few minuses on the way. But when there are too many such mindless scenes in the film, it gets problematic.

Finally, just ask yourself after watching the latest Love Aaj Kal – are you really happy with the end product? Is this the best you can deliver? If yes, then we completely respect your decision and if that is so, please at least keep the budgets under control. Don’t let the investors suffer so much. You are a producer yourself now and you’ll understand what I am saying here. However, if your answer to the aforementioned questions is ‘No’, then it’s time to take stock of the situation. Many moviegoers still love you and are hoping you make a solid comeback because we know you can do it. You’re probably the only one right now regularly making light-hearted urban romcoms. There’s a huge market for these films among the youth and you can fill the void, if you come up with a well-made film, like you did earlier. Hence, we request you to understand where you went wrong and correct the wrongs.

I hope this letter is taken in the right spirit, if it ever reaches you. And apologies if any of my words have hurt you.

Yours Truly,

Fenil Seta