Abhay Deol speaks up on nepotism row: ‘We need cultural evolution to make change’

Abhay Deol has come forth articulating his thoughts on the nepotism row, while lashing out at Bollywood bigwigs who promote it far and wide by marginalising talented outsiders.

Penning a long post on Instagram, the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara actor stated how nepotism exists everywhere in the overall society and culture.

He even shared a collage of his picture with that of famous actor Dharmendra and called him an inspiration as he was an outsider who made it big in B-town. 

“My uncle, whom I affectionately call dad, was an outsider who made it big in the film industry. I’m glad there is an active debate on the practices behind the scenes. Nepotism is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve only ever made one film with my family, my 1st, and I’m grateful to be blessed and have that privileged. I’ve gone that extra mile in my career to make my own path, something that dad always encouraged. For me, he was the inspiration,” he wrote.

The actor who debuted with Dharmendra’s Vijayta Films production Socha Na Tha in 2005, mentioned how after he got the initial access from his family paved his own path to success without any existing links. 

He further mentioned that nepotism exists in every field. Abhay wrote, “Nepotism is prevalent everywhere in our culture, be it in politics, business, or film. I was well aware of it and it pushed me to take chances with new directors and producers throughout my career. That is how I was able to make movies that were considered “out of the box.”

” I’m glad some of those artists and films went on to have tremendous success. While it plays a part in every country, nepotism has taken on another dimension here in India. I suspect caste plays a major role in it being more pronounced here than in other parts of the world. After all, it is “jati” that dictates that a son carry on the work of his father, while the daughter is expected to marry and be a housewife,” he added.

Read Abhay Deol’s full post here