AreSanjayDutt,RahulMahajan,andManuSharmaexamplesofpoorparenting?Readontolearnabouthowcelebritychildrencopewithstardom.Fewdecadesback,babynamessuchasAryan,Tiger,Aarav,Hrehan,andBappawouldhaveinvitedincredulouslooksinIndia.ButwhenBollywoodsuperstarsgavetheirchildrenunusualnameswithexoticspellings,suddenlythesenamesbecamecommonplaceinourmovie-crazynation.Weirdnamesandbizarrespellingsarejustsomeofthethingsthatchildrenofcelebritieshavetocontendwith.InthisarticleDoCelebrityChildrenhaveitEasy?UnfairComparisonsLifeintheShadowofOthersJustPrettyandPampered?CelebrityLifestylesPoorParentingDoCelebrityChildrenhaveitEasy?Lineagematters,especiallyinIndia;beitinmovies,sports,orpolitics.Whenallthingssuchastalent,looks,etc.areequal,itisthatextradynasticinfluencethatappealstomostIndians.WhenArjunSachinTendulkarswaysanimaginarybatintheair,weareboundtothinkthatwehaveanotherLittleMasterinthemaking.Or,whenHrehanHrithikRoshanmoveshishands,welookforthatoomphfactor,oreventheauspicioussixthfinger.So,dochildrenofcelebritieshaveiteasy?Notalways.UnfairComparisonsDoyourememberyourselfcommentingonhowthedaughterofastarfromyesteryearsdoesnotmatchuptohermothersbeauty?Beinghumans,itisnaturalforustocompare.Thisisespeciallytruewhenasuperstarcoupleschilddecidestofollowhisparentsfootsteps.TherearemanywhostillswearthatDimpleKapadiainBobbyisfarmorebeautifulthanTwinkleandRinkieKhannacouldeverget.ThebestexamplehereisAbhishekBachchan.Criticswrotehimoffafterhisfirstfewfilmsbombed.Helackedtheactingprowessanddeepbaritoneofhislegendaryfather,theysaid.HisHindidictionwasalsoflawed,consideringhisgrandfather—thegreatHarivanshRaiBachchan—representsthefinestofHindi-Avadhipoetry.Ittookhimseveralflopstoestablishaseparateidentityandcomeoutofhisfathersshadow.LifeintheShadowofOthersLivinguptoalegendaryfatherormother(orinsomecasesboth)canbequiteadauntingtask.Severalcelebritychildrenhavetriedtheirluckinthesameindustryastheirparents,butfounditdifficulttomoveoutoftheshadowoftheirillustriousparents.Itcanbeworsewhenyouhaveafamilyfullofcelebrities.ArbaazKhan,sonofscriptwriterSalim,onceadmittedthatitisnoteasybeingsandwichedbetweenasuperstarbrother(SalmanKhan)andaglamorousmodel-wife,MalaikaArora-Khan.Ofcourse,thereareexceptions.Somecelebritychildrenhavemanagedtoexceedtheirparentsglory.HrithikRoshanisaprimeexamplehere.HisfatherRakeshRoshannevermadeitbigasanactorthoughhedidstrikegoldasadirector.Infact,mostofRakeshRoshansbiggesthitshaveHrithikastheleadactor.Thereareotherstoo.Kajol,daughterofTanuja,andgranddaughterofShobanaSamarth,didexceedinglywellattheboxoffice.JustPrettyandPampered?Celebritychildrenareoftenseenasbratty,pampered,andinept.Itisalsobelievedthattheyeasilygetthingsdonebecauseoftheircontacts.Takethefilmindustryforexample.GonearethedayswhenastrugglingactorwouldmeansomeonewhogetsoffthetraininMumbaiwithjustRs200inhispocket.Nowadays,itisquitedifficulttogetabreakintheindustrywithoutagodfather.Andnothingworksbetterthanhavingparentswhoweresuperstarstogettheirfirstfilm.Totopthat,todaysstrugglingactorsoftenarriveinsportscars.Ifthatisnotenough,theyhavemanagers,agents,personaltrainers,etc.Asonecelebritychildputsit,"Aschildrenofcelebrityparents,itisdefinitelytruethatthefirstbreakiseasiertoget.Yet,peoplewronglyassumethatwearearrogantanddevoidoftalent.Infact,wehavetoworktwiceashardtoproveourtalent."CelebrityLifestylesDivorcebetweentheparents,extra-maritalaffairs,theconstantglareofthemediaspotlight,etc.havetakentheirtollonmanyIndiancelebritychildren.Manycelebritychildrenoftenfindthemselvesonthewrongsideofthelaw.DrugscandalsinIndiaarebecomingascommonasintheWest,asseenintheRahulMahajanandFardeenKhancases.Often,manycelebritychildrenhavebeenledtobelievethattheycanusetheirinfluencetogetoffthehook.Inseveralhit-and-runaccidents,theaccusedcelebrityhasmanagedtoevadearrestbypayingaheftybribe.Whilesomestrugglewiththepressuresofacelebritylifestyle,othersemergestronger.Take,forexample,SanjayDutt,sonofNargisandSunilDutt.SanjayDutthascomealongwayfrombattlingdrugaddictionandthelossofhismothertocancer.Hewentontobecomeasuperstarwithastringofhits,especiallytheMunnabhaiseries.Sanjay,despitebeinglabelledastheproverbialprodigalson,isadotingfathertohisdaughterTrishala.Onestillhastopaythemistakesofonesyouth.Sanjaysclosefriendshipwithgangstersandillegalpossessionoffirearmscausedgreatgrieftohisfamilymembers,includingMPPriyaDuttandNamrata(wifeofKumarGaurav).ThoughSanjayisrepentantforhismistakescommitted14yearsago,JusticeKodeoftheHighCourtrejectedhispleaforbail.InJuly2007,theHighCourtsentencedhimtosixyearsofrigorousimprisonment.PoorParentingIspoorparentingresponsibleforcelebritychildrenturningastray?EvenMahatmaGandhihadtoworryabouthisowneldestson,HarilalGandhi.ThefilmGandhiMyFather,starringAkshayeKhanna,exploresthistroubledrelationshipbetweenthefatherofthenationandhisson.Harilaleventuallydiedofalcoholism.Theansweristhatgeneticsandparentingarejustfewofthefactorsthatdetermineachildspersonality.Thechildsenvironmentisalsoresponsibleinshapingthepersonthathewilleventuallybecome.
Are Sanjay Dutt, Rahul Mahajan, and Manu Sharma examples of poor parenting? Read on to learn about how celebrity children cope with stardom.Few decades back, baby names such as Aryan, Tiger, Aarav, Hrehan, and Bappa would have invited incredulous looks in India. But when Bollywood superstars gave their children unusual
names with exotic spellings, suddenly these names became commonplace in our movie-crazy nation. Weird names and bizarre spellings are just some of the things that children of celebrities have to contend with.
Do Celebrity Children have it Easy?
Lineage matters, especially in India; be it in
movies, sports, or politics. When all things such as talent, looks, etc. are equal, it is that extra dynastic influence that appeals to most Indians. When Arjun Sachin Tendulkar sways an imaginary bat in the air, we are bound to think that we have another Little Master in the making. Or, when Hrehan Hrithik Roshan moves his hands, we look for that oomph factor, or even the auspicious sixth finger.
So, do children of celebrities have it easy? Not always.
Unfair Comparisons
Do you remember yourself commenting on how the daughter of a star from yesteryears does not match up to her mother's beauty? Being humans, it is natural for us to compare. This is especially true when a superstar couple's child decides to follow his parents' footsteps. There are many who still swear that Dimple Kapadia in
Bobby is far more beautiful than Twinkle and Rinkie Khanna could ever get.
The best example here is Abhishek Bachchan. Critics wrote him off after his first few films bombed. He lacked the acting prowess and deep baritone of his legendary father, they said. His Hindi diction was also flawed, considering his grandfather—the great Harivansh Rai Bachchan—represents the finest of Hindi-Avadhi poetry. It took him several flops to establish a separate identity and come out of his father's shadow.
Life in the Shadow of Others
Living up to a legendary father or mother (or in some cases both) can be quite a daunting task. Several celebrity children have tried their luck in the same industry as their parents, but found it difficult to move out of the shadow of their illustrious parents.
It can be worse when you have a family full of celebrities. Arbaaz Khan, son of scriptwriter Salim, once admitted that it is not easy being sandwiched between a superstar brother (Salman Khan) and a glamorous model-wife, Malaika Arora-Khan.
Of course, there are exceptions. Some celebrity
children have managed to exceed their parents' glory. Hrithik Roshan is a prime example here. His father Rakesh Roshan never made it big as an actor though he did strike gold as a director. In fact, most of Rakesh Roshan's biggest hits have Hrithik as the lead actor. There are others too. Kajol, daughter of Tanuja, and granddaughter of Shobana Samarth, did exceedingly well at the box office.
Just Pretty and Pampered?
Celebrity children are often seen as bratty, pampered, and inept. It is also believed that they easily get things done because of their contacts. Take the film industry for example. Gone are the days when a 'struggling actor' would mean someone who gets off the train in Mumbai with just Rs 200 in his pocket. Nowadays, it is quite difficult to get a break in the industry without a 'godfather'. And nothing works better than having parents who were superstars to get their first film. To top that, today's 'struggling actors' often arrive in sports cars. If that is not enough, they have managers, agents, personal trainers, etc.
As one celebrity child puts it, "As children of celebrity
parents, it is definitely true that the first break is easier to get. Yet, people wrongly assume that we are arrogant and devoid of talent. In fact, we have to work twice as hard to prove our talent."
Celebrity Lifestyles
Divorce between the parents, extra-marital affairs, the constant glare of the media spotlight, etc. have taken their toll on many Indian celebrity children. Many celebrity children often find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Drug scandals in India are becoming as common as in the West, as seen in the Rahul Mahajan and Fardeen Khan cases.
Often, many celebrity children have been led to believe that they can use their influence to get off the hook. In several hit-and-run accidents, the accused celebrity has managed to evade arrest by paying a hefty bribe.
While some struggle with the pressures of a celebrity lifestyle, others emerge stronger. Take, for example, Sanjay Dutt, son of Nargis and Sunil Dutt. Sanjay Dutt has come a long way from battling drug addiction and the loss of his mother to cancer. He went on to become a superstar with a string of hits, especially the Munnabhai series. Sanjay, despite being labelled as the proverbial 'prodigal son', is a doting father to his daughter Trishala.
One still has to pay the mistakes of one's youth. Sanjay's close friendship with gangsters and illegal possession of firearms caused great grief to his family members, including MP Priya Dutt and Namrata (wife of Kumar Gaurav). Though Sanjay is repentant for his 'mistakes committed 14 years ago', Justice Kode of the High Court rejected his plea for bail. In July 2007, the High Court sentenced him to six years of rigorous imprisonment.
Poor Parenting
Is poor parenting responsible for celebrity children turning astray? Even Mahatma Gandhi had to worry about his own eldest son, Harilal Gandhi. The film
Gandhi My Father, starring Akshaye Khanna, explores this troubled relationship between the father of the nation and his son. Harilal eventually died of alcoholism.
The answer is that genetics and parenting are just few of the factors that determine a child's personality. The child's environment is also responsible in shaping the person that he will eventually become.
