'Nepo kid maaf kijiye...': Neil Nitin Mukesh reacts to nepotism debate in Bollywood, says 'I have this art and it is...'

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh shared his thoughts on the ongoing debate about nepotism in Bollywood. He stated that an artist's success ultimately depends on talent.

In a conversation with ANI, he said, "If there was any benefit of nepotism, then today I would have been somewhere else. 'Nepo kid maaf kijiye dekhiye hamari field mein glorify zyada kiya jaata hai'..Nepo kid is glorified in our field as being an actor whatever we do, we are noticed immediately. 'agar doctor ka beta doctor ban raha hai to nepo kid vahan bhi use kiya ja sakta hai' (If a doctor's son is becoming a doctor then there also nepo kid can be used)......So, if my daughter grows up and wants to become an actor or an actress or a filmmaker or a writer. Now, I have this art and it is in me. As a business, I can't hand it over. I can only teach or hope that someone will take my legacy, my name forward."

He continued, "Any artist makes their identity with their own creativity." Neil Nitin Mukesh's father is Bollywood playback singer Nitin Mukesh, son of veteran singer Mukesh. However, he said that it doesn't mean things are easy for him in the industry. "I am Mukesh ji's grandson. I am Nitin Mukesh ji's son. Today I am the third generation and I am carrying forward the name of both of them. My love was for acting and I have been doing it since my childhood. So, I have come to this field. Of course, my father and grandfather belong to this line. This is my world. But even today I know that after every film, what is my struggle for every other film? In fact, being the son of a star creates more pressure as you are continuiusly comapred with them"

Giving an example of Kartik Aaryan, Rajkummar Rao, Vikrant Massey, he said that, "I don't think they have any filmy connection or identity. But look at what a first-class job they are doing, because of their talent. So, I know that as an actor, I had to go through a lot of struggles. First of all, to make people realise that a singer's son can act. And even today, after so many films, after so many years, it's been 20 years, I'm working. I have worked with the first-rate directors. But I still feel a kind of struggle as to what my next film is going to be. So I am not afraid of that. I just consider it a challenge as to how I can prove myself as an actor. But if it was just about nepo kid, it would have been a privilege."

Talking about his work front, Neil has starred in New York (2009), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), Golmaal Again (2017), and Saaho (2019). In his recent projects, he came up with corruption-exposing drama 'Hisaab Barabar' in January this year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)