Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, defending actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, has said that they have succeeded on the basis of their talents. He said that it is because the audiences that they emerged as stars, and not because they were given preferential treatment by the industry.
Vikram has been commenting on the ongoing nepotism debate, and recently also offered his take on the drugs controversy unfolding in the film industry.
In an interview to Navbharat Times, the filmmaker said, “If the audience had not appreciated the performances of Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, they would have never become stars. The audience is responsible for making them stars and not their fathers. There were several actors, directors who got an opportunity from their families but the audience didn’t like their work and rejected them. I believe that nepotism is a nonsense discussion that has been going on for quite a while now like many other nonsense discussions.”
Providing the example of the recent film Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which was a launch vehicle for Sunny Deol’s son Karan, Vikram said, “If a father could have made his son a star, then Sunny Deol’s son Karan Deol’s first film Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas wouldn’t have been a flop. What did Sunny Deol do when the film did not do well?”
Previously, the filmmaker had said that he’d heard about Bollywood parties where drugs are served on platters. He said that he has never personally witnessed such activities, however. “I have never been to a party where drugs have been taken by anyone. I have been to big parties. Somebody once told me that in some parties, different kinds of drugs are offered in trays. The guests then pick up the drug of their choice. However, I have never seen any such thing in the parties I’ve been to,” he had told NBT.
His comments came after Kangana Ranaut’s suggested that 99% of the film industry has been exposed to drugs. This week, the Narcotics Control Bureau seems to be intensifying focus on drug consumption in the film industry, and has summoned persons allegedly connected the procurement of drugs.
