Apr 09, 2026 12:37pm IST
Celebrity Kids Are Losing The Edge to Talented Newcomers With No Industry Connections
Be it Hollywood or Bollywood, “Nepo Babies” — the offspring of famous and influential celebrities have always had an advantage. Almost like a ticket to stardom — irrespective of talent.
While acting aspirants trying to get a break have had to struggle for years, industry insiders leveraged family connections, resources and insider access to secure opportunities with top makers. Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor were launched by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan were launched by Karan Johar. Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor got a break with Zoya Akhtar, and Tiger Shroff was backed by Sajid Nadiadwala.
There has been an ongoing debate around “nepo babies” versus “outsiders,” with the film industry often accused of favouring star kids for their movies, ever since Kangna Ranaut started the nepotism debate on the chat show “Koffee With Karan.”
Although Hindi cinema continues to give opportunities to star kids, the landscape seems to be changing. New actors coming from film families aren't the natural choice for casting anymore; with directors and producers now opting for talent rather than star power. This noticeable shift began when many star kids failed to resonate with audiences . Apart from Ahaan Panday, who made his debut with last year's blockbuster musical, "Saiyaara,” there's hardly any nepo debutant who has become a break-out star with commercial success, in recent years.
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Saif Ali Khan's son Ibrahim Ali Khan faced harsh criticism for both his debut film “Naadaaniyaan” (Netflix) and the follow-up “Sarzameen” (Jio Hotstar). Both movies were heavily criticized for their narrative and Ibrahim’s performance. His third film, "Diler", directed by Kunal Deshmukh has been awaiting release, despite being ready for over a year. Sanjay Kapur's daughter Shanaya Kapoor has failed in wooing audiences with her both films, “Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyaan” and “Tu Yaa Main", which failed at the box office.
Khushi Kapoor, the younger daughter of Boney Kapoor and the late Sridevi, also didn't find success with her theatrical debut, "Loveyapa", which was soundly rejected by audiences. Her co-star and Aamir Khan's son, Junaid Khan, has not found his footing either, with none of his films hitting the mark. Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan also received heavy criticism for her performance in her debut film, "The Archies", directed by Zoya Akhtar. Suniel Shetty's son Ahan Shetty recently tasted box office success with Sunny Deol-led “Border 2," but he is yet to be accepted in the lead role, as his debut film “Tadap” was a non-starter at box office. Amitabh Bachchan's grandson Agastya Nanda has proved his mettle in acting with Sriram Raghavan's “Ikkis” but hasn't seen a commercial success yet. The late Irrfan Khan's son, Babil has largely remained confined to OTT while having no currency with audiences outside the metros.
Raveena Tandon's daughter Rasha Thadani and Ajay Devgn's nephew Aaman Devgan were launched with Abhishek Kapoor's period drama “Azaad”, which struggled to touch even a ₹10 crore mark against a ₹40-50 crore production budget. Shashi Kapoor's grandson Zahan Kapoor has moved to the streaming space following the failure of his debut theatrical film, "Faraaz". Akshay Kumar's niece Simar Bhatia (“Ikkis”), Hrithik Roshan's cousin Pashmina Roshan (“Ishq Vishk Rebound”) and Salman Khan's niece Alizeh Agnihotri (“Farrey)” didn’t get a grand welcome with their debut movies either.
Industry insiders suggest that the shift reflects a broader change in audience behavior. “Actors from film families were once preferred because financing, marketing, and distribution were easier with recognizable surnames. They also enjoyed a certain default acceptance by audiences as compared to newcomers from across India with no connections. But that safety net is no longer working,” says a producer on condition of anonymity. “Today, announcing a film with a star kid often begins with negativity. Audiences simply don’t seem interested anymore.”
Industry insiders point to several interconnected reasons for this rejection. Many star kids have chosen safe, formulaic projects that failed to resonate emotionally or culturally with today’s viewers. In some cases, actors have been launched prematurely, without sufficient training or preparation, making their performances meme-worthy.
“Audiences are no longer as forgiving. They demand perfection, regardless of whether the lead is a star kid or an outsider. People are judging the film and the overall experience more than whose son or daughter is on screen. The recent star-kids have struggled either because of this shift,” an industry insider tells this writer.
The waning demand for these nepo-actors can also be gauged from the fact that they do not have many films in the pipeline. Shanaya, Agastya, Aaman, Simar and Pashmina currently have no films on hand. Khushi and Ibrahim have one film each coming up, while Rasha Thadani seems to be the busiest among her peers, with at least three projects in various stages of production.
In contrast, newcomers without filmy pedigrees are gaining momentum. Actors like Aneet Padda, Medha Shankr, Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, Lakshya, Abhay Verma, Rohit Saraf and Sparsh Srivastava have not only made their mark in the industry but are also in steady demand, with each having multiple films and OTT shows lined up ahead.
This evolving trend suggests a recalibration within Bollywood — audiences have stopped caring about stars and nepo-kids and are now giving more importance to talent and storytelling.
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