IIFA rocks, nepotism rocks, everything rocks

I truly believe my eye doctor is the best one there is; he is a brilliant surgeon just like his father and grandfather before him. He once mentioned that his son didn’t want to pursue the same trade. I was slightly heartbroken, why would his son break away from his lineage? Who would look after my eyes when my doctor retires? I wore glasses for ten years before he fixed my eyes with a laser machine. I can now see everything so clearly.

What I can’t bring myself to watch are Indian film industry award shows, I steer clear of them for two reasons. One- The whole process makes me very uncomfortable, its like being at a wedding sangeet where one of my drunk Punjabi uncles might grab the mike and make a remark that will might make me laugh externally and cringe internally. Two- Each of the many performances are like looking directly into the sun/a kaleidoscope/ Firework display and my pupils don’t know where to focus, but I also have mild anxiety so that one is on me.

The recent IIFA Awards seem to have garnered attention for a whole different and confusing reason. Even though I didn’t watch the show, a few Instagram videos and YouTube searches caught me up to the highlights. Kangana Ranaut called Karan Johar out on his talk show, in response he took a dig at her while hosting the IIFA awards and now nepotism is a buzzword.

When a trade is passed on from one generation to another it can have a sense of pride and credibility attached to it, like a family of army officers, doctors, karigars, engineers, even chefs. So maybe that same credibility should apply to actors also? The larger problem might be that as a country we place the film industry on a pedestal so high that some of them tip over; credibility sometimes cancels out when it is taken for granted.

History is proof that talent alone makes people successful and bad actors often get washed away if they don’t have what it takes to stick around. Even ‘outsiders’ that become insiders will probably do what they can to help who they love, but that is true for all industries. It is especially true for the film industry because they are always the center of attention.

“Nepotism Rocks” I believe that’s what was said on the stage in New York that night, and maybe it does rock. I have a feeling someone is making a parody song with this title now and is about to get a million hits.

I don’t think there is a single Koffee with Karan episode I haven’t watched and I’ve enjoyed watching every season, sometimes I watch the repeat shows like F.R.I.E.N.D.S reruns. I feel like in so many was Karan Johar has been a trailblazer for people that are trying to be comfortable in their own skin, it must be so challenging to be a single parent in a society as judgmental as ours. Which is why it is odd that a person of his position would find it necessary to plan and execute a dig at someone else. Maybe it is easy to bully someone smaller than you with fewer resources, or maybe the organizers of the award show orchestrated the whole thing and secretly they are all friends and making revenue out of the gossip they churned?

Despite the many magazines, blogs and TV channels dedicated to ‘Bollywood Gossip’ I doubt anyone knows what really happens in the lives of people in the limelight. The award shows are so hard to take seriously when each year there seems to be a different set, different sponsors, even the trophies look different and the people in the audience are almost always the recipients of the awards anyway.

I know that these issues are not unique to our country alone, and nepotism is a global phenomenon. Since the award show took place in New York this year it may be fitting to point out that earlier this year Jay Z released his album 4:44 and DJ Khaled’s Grateful peaked all billboards. Both albums featured their toddler kids and received a tsunami of criticism for showcasing their kids, but meanwhile shows like Masterchef Kids, America’s Got Talent and so many more constantly feature talented toddlers and are often celebrated for it. It’s a slippery slope with Nepotism in case of the Indian film industry because oftentimes credibility and merit don’t always go hand in hand. In the end maybe Nepotism does rock, but I think when it is exploited it is bit of a turn off.