Mohnish Bahl says he ‘wouldn’t have been playing negatives and parallel leads’ if nepotism worked
Mohnish Bahl dismissed the nepotism debate as ‘superficial’ and said that if it was indeed as advantageous as thought to be, he would not have been doing only negative and parallel lead roles, given his family background.
Actor Mohnish Bahl, the son of late actor Nutan, dismissed the nepotism debate as a ‘superficial’ one. He maintained that his daughter, actor Pranutan Bahl, landed her debut film, Notebook, through auditions and not by using her family connections. He also said that if nepotism had its advantages, he would not have been pigeonholed in negative roles and parallel leads.
Mohnish made his Bollywood debut in 1983 with Bekaraar but the film did not do well. He gained popularity with a negative role in Maine Pyaar Kiya, and has also played supporting roles in films such as Hum Aapke Hain Koun and Hum Saath-Saath Hain.
Speaking to a leading daily, Mohnish said that Pranutan did not reveal her surname while trying to bag her first film because she wanted to make it on her own. While he agreed that it is ‘easier’ for those coming from film families to land auditions, he said that everyone is ‘on (their) own’ once they start acting.
“There is no Mohnish or Nutan ji standing behind you in front of the camera. It is just you. That is why I feel all this debate is superficial. I don’t give it much thought. If you look at it this way, my entire family is the product of nepotism--right from my grandmother Shobhana Samarth to my mother Nutan to Tanuja to Kajol to my cousin brother-in-law Ajay Devgn--it is basically everybody. Where do you stop? Hats off to people who come from non-film backgrounds and make it on their own but there is nothing shameful about being an industry kid too. Eventually, you have to make it on your own,” he said.
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“Frankly, if nepotism really helped people, I wouldn’t have been playing negatives and parallel leads all my life, considering whose son I am. There are so many other examples of people who have not even gotten as good as me and outsiders who have made it big,” he added.
Apart from films, Mohnish has also acted in television shows such as Sanjivani – A Medical Boon, Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Kuch Toh Log Kahenge.
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