Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan who recently completed 20 years in the industry weighed in on the ongoing debate on nepotism. Ever since the unfortunate demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, the debate on nepotism has been reignited and those from the film families have been on the receiving end of trolling and criticism.

In a recent interview with journalist Barkha Dutt, Kareena said that for her to work so long in the industry would not have been possible if the audience had not accepted her. “21 years of working would not have happened with just nepotism. It is not possible. I can take a long list out of superstars’ children for whom it’s not been able to happen that way,” she said.

She said that even though she comes from a privileged background, she has her own struggle even though it might not be as interesting as the others. “It might sound weird but my struggle is there. There is a struggle but it probably is not as interesting as somebody who comes in a train with just Rs 10 in his pocket. Yeah, it’s not been that and I can’t be apologetic about it,” she said.

The Good Newwz actress said that she finds this whole discussion weird as it is people who make stars. “The audience has made us, nobody else has made us. The same people pointing fingers, they are only making these nepotistic stars. Aap jaa re ho na film dekhne? Mat jao. Nobody has forced you. So I don’t understand it. I find this whole discussion is completely weird,” Kareena added.

Kareena also cited examples of successful outsiders who have become stars of Bollywood. She said, “The idea is that today so many of our biggest stars whom you (the audience) have chosen, whether it is Akshay Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan or Ayushmann Khurrana or Rajkummar Rao, are all outsiders. They are successful actors because they have worked hard. Whether it is Alia Bhatt or Kareena Kapoor, we have also worked hard. You are enjoying our films and watching them. So, it’s the audience that makes or breaks us.”

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