Amrish Puri’s grandson Vardhan jokes his parents can be called ‘product of nepotism’: ‘They will be proud to say yes’

Actor Vardhan Puri, the grandson of late actor Amrish Puri, weighed in on the nepotism debate in Bollywood and said that no one has called him a ‘nepo kid’. He claimed that he has made it on his own, giving more auditions ‘than anyone else, be it insider or outsider’.

“Nobody has pointed at me to say that I am a ‘nepo kid’. My grandfather passed away while I was very young and still in theatre. He was never there to influence any film’s casting or make any calls or go to offices to have me cast in a film,” Vardhan told SpotboyE, adding that his grandfather believed one should make it on their own. Amrish died in 2005 after a prolonged illness.

Vardhan, who made his Bollywood debut with Yeh Saali Aashiqui in 2019, said that he got a break in films only after several years of doing theatre and not because of his last name. Talking about his journey, he said that he gave several auditions, and worked as an assistant director and assistant writer, before finally getting the opportunity to act.

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Vardhan joked that his parents can be called ‘product(s) of nepotism’ as they entered the film business only once he became an actor. “Had he (Amrish) been my father, maybe I would have been accused of nepotism but my father was never a part of films. My parents became film producers because I became an actor. So, people can tell them that they are a product of nepotism as they became producers because their son is an actor, and they will be proud to say yes,” he laughed.

Vardhan will be seen next in The Last Show. Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, the film also features Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik. While the shoot has been completed, the release date is yet to be announced.