Athiya to Uday: Unpacking quiet, complex journeys of star kids

In the dazzling satellite of Bollywood, prima kids often get with large names, blockbuster debuts, and sky-high expectations. With manufacture backing, reddish carpet access, and built-in media buzz, the way to fame whitethorn look astir effortless.

But beyond the flashbulbs and fanfare lies a much nuanced reality—one wherever not each travel leads to superstardom.Some, similar Athiya Shetty, Uday Chopra, and Girish Kumar, softly stepped distant from acting aft underwhelming debuts—not needfully successful defeat, but successful pursuit of purpose, privacy, oregon reinvention. ETimes unpacks the lesser-known, analyzable paths of Bollywood prima kids who redefined occurrence connected their ain terms, acold from the glare of the spotlight.Bollywood Debuts That Didn’t Go arsenic PlannedHarman Baweja: Touted arsenic the Next Hrithik Roshan

Harman Baweja, lad of filmmaker Harry Baweja, made his debut with Love Story 2050 (2008), a sci-fi philharmonic with monolithic promotions. While comparisons to Hrithik Roshan were rampant, the movie flopped. Harman appeared successful a fewer much films similar Victory and What's Your Raashee?, but the assemblage ne'er connected. He yet shifted absorption to moving Baweja Studios but continues to marque occasional acting appearances.

Mahaakshay (Mimoh) Chakraborty: A Legacy That Didn’t Translate

Mimoh, the lad of Mithun Chakraborty, debuted with Jimmy (2008). The movie bombed, and contempt trying his luck successful movies similar Haunted 3D, Mimoh couldn’t interruption through. He has stayed distant from mainstream films successful caller years.Jackky Bhagnani: From Actor to Successful Producer

Launched by his begetter Vashu Bhagnani with Kal Kissne Dekha (2009), Jackky struggled arsenic an histrion contempt aggregate releases similar Ajab Gazabb Love and Rangrezz. He yet pivoted to production, backing palmy films similar Bell Bottom and Mission Raniganj nether Pooja Entertainment.Sikandar Kher: Finding a Second Wind successful Web SeriesSon of Kirron Kher and stepson of Anupam Kher, Sikandar debuted successful Woodstock Villa (2008). Though his aboriginal films didn’t perform, helium recovered captious acclaim years aboriginal with roles successful web bid similar Aarya and the planetary Netflix amusement Sense8.Second Chances: How Some Star Kids Reinvented ThemselvesJackky Bhagnani: Thriving Behind the ScenesAfter facing repeated failures astatine the container office, Jackky chose to absorption connected movie production. Today, helium heads Pooja Entertainment and is down a drawstring of commercialized hits. He besides launched the euphony statement Jjust Music, giving abstraction to caller talent.Sikandar Kher: From Struggles to Strong Supporting Roles

Sikandar reinvented himself with beardown performances successful ensemble films and integer shows. His relation successful Aarya received wide praise, proving that occurrence tin travel successful unconventional ways.Girish Kumar: Actor Turned Business Tycoon

Son of Tips Industries’ Kumar Taurani, Girish Kumar debuted with Ramaiya Vastavaiya (2013) and aboriginal appeared successful Loveshhuda. While helium stepped distant from acting, helium present helps tally Tips Industries, which dominates the integer euphony abstraction successful India.Uday Chopra: From YRF Actor to Hollywood Producer

Uday Chopra starred successful Mohabbatein and the Dhoom series, but failed to impressment successful solo roles similar Neal ‘n’ Nikki. He aboriginal moved to the U.S. to absorption connected YRF Entertainment, producing films similar Grace of Monaco. He has been unfastened astir stepping distant from acting.Athiya Shetty: Stepping Back Post Marriage

Daughter of Suniel Shetty, Athiya made her debut successful Hero (2015). Her movie vocation ne'er took disconnected contempt appearances successful Motichoor Chaknachoor. After marrying cricketer KL Rahul successful 2023, Athiya has focused much connected endorsements than acting.Why Star Kids Struggle: The Weight of ExpectationsFor prima kids, the travel into Bollywood begins nether an aggravated spotlight—one that brings some accidental and overwhelming pressure. With celebrated past names travel changeless comparisons, precocious expectations, and an unspoken request to lucifer oregon surpass the bequest they inherit. Every audition, film, and nationalist quality is scrutinized, often much harshly than their peers. While their introduction into the manufacture whitethorn beryllium smoother, sustaining a vocation comes with its ain acceptable of challenges.

Audiences contiguous are discerning and unpredictable, making it wide that fame can’t beryllium inherited—it has to beryllium earned. In specified a high-stakes environment, adjacent a insignificant setback tin consciousness amplified, and the state to experimentation oregon neglect is often a luxury they aren’t afforded.The Nepotism Debate: Privilege with a PriceIn caller years, the speech astir nepotism successful Bollywood has grown louder, particularly with the emergence of societal media and audience-driven critique.

Star kids often participate the manufacture with a caput start—access to apical filmmakers, amended opportunities, and media attraction from the outset. But this privilege comes with an invisible cost.Many second-generation actors person spoken astir the interior unit of perpetually having to beryllium themselves, not conscionable to the audience, but to themselves. They’re often caught successful a lose-lose situation—where occurrence is attributed to their lineage, and nonaccomplishment is amplified arsenic impervious of their deficiency of talent.

The scrutiny tin beryllium relentless, turning each vocation determination into a referendum connected privilege.Aditya Narayan has often spoken candidly astir the double-edged quality of legacy. Being Udit Narayan’s lad brought aboriginal attraction but besides a question of assumptions that helium had to perpetually propulsion backmost against. “I privation I wasn’t Udit Narayan’s son, past radical would’ve taken maine seriously,” helium told ETimes. Reflecting connected that journey, helium present sees it with much clarity: “It was a shadiness and a blessing.

Early on, I resented the comparisons, the assumptions.

But implicit time, I realized that existent credibility doesn’t travel from your surname — it comes from consistency, heart, and however you dainty people. Saansein is maine reclaiming my dependable — not successful absorption to my father’s legacy, but arsenic an improvement of it.”

When Pranutan Bahl entered the movie industry, she was afloat alert of the bequest she carried — 1 shaped by her iconic grandma Nutan and her father, histrion Mohnish Bahl.

Yet, for her, the value of that bequest was ne'er a burden. Instead, she chose to spot it arsenic thing empowering.“I wouldn’t similar to accidental unit arsenic I consciousness it attaches a antagonistic connotation to it,” she told ETimes successful her 2020 interview. “I would similar to presumption it arsenic a beauteous work bestowed upon my shoulder. I ever archer myself that I americium going to enactment precise hard to marque myself amended successful each section that I tin regarding my work.

I americium going to usage it arsenic information to beryllium amended astatine what I bash due to the fact that it is simply a beauteous happening that I beryllium to specified a household of artists.

There is nary pressure. In fact, determination is simply a batch of encouragement and information from each the members of my family, particularly my parents and sister.”

For Pranutan, the process of knowing and carrying guardant her family's creator lineage began aboriginal successful life. She was raised with values that emphasized humility and respect—qualities she believes are indispensable for anyone, careless of background.“As acold arsenic handling your bequest comes, it comes from a precise young property wherever you are ever told portion increasing up that you request to behaviour yourself with a definite level of respect towards radical and humility. I would similar to judge that each kid should beryllium fixed that benignant of learning and understanding.”Her admiration for her grandmother, legendary histrion Nutan, has ever been a guiding force. “I ever idolized my grandmother.

I emotion the mode she conducted herself not lone professionally but besides personally. She had a batch of grace and dignity. I adore and respect her for that. I americium blessed to beryllium calved successful this family,” she shared with heartfelt pride.While nepotism tin unfastened doors, it doesn’t warrant longevity. In fact, it tin marque the travel adjacent much emotionally taxing, particularly erstwhile idiosyncratic individuality is overshadowed by a celebrated past name.

For many, the existent situation isn’t getting in—it’s staying in, and being taken earnestly connected their ain merit.Breaking the story of guaranteed stardom, Mahaakshay Chakraborty opened up astir facing 1 of the astir hard phases successful his career—having nary enactment contempt being a prima kid. Unlike the communal cognition that manufacture connections guarantee a dependable watercourse of roles, his travel tells a precise antithetic story.In his 2023 interrogation with ETimes, helium shared, "See, the happening is, I americium the surviving impervious and illustration that nepotism doesn't exist.

If it worked, I would person been doing each 4th oregon 5th movie retired there. But no, that's not the case. I americium inactive struggling similar anybody other and I'm precise arrogant to accidental that."Reflecting connected his signifier of nonrecreational uncertainty, helium adds, "When I didn’t get enactment it was due to the fact that I didn't get selected successful the auditions. There's thing incorrect with that. As an actor, you person to look the information that you volition get rejected and you should not instrumentality it personally. You are doing your best, right?"Despite being calved into a movie family, helium insists that his opportunities person travel solely done merit.

"I person gone to each audition—whether it is for television, whether it's for films, whether it's for web shows, I person done each of them. But arsenic I said, I got these 3 projects due to the fact that of those auditions. I americium precise arrogant of the enactment I person received due to the fact that of my ain merit."Addressing the broader statement astir nepotism, helium wants young actors to cognize that a celebrated past sanction lone opens the doorway slightly—nothing more. "I deliberation I should archer this to each the actors retired determination who judge that nepotism exists.

No, the lone happening that the household from the movie manufacture tin bash is that I tin lone spell conscionable a manager if helium oregon she is free. I tin lone spell conscionable a shaper if helium oregon she is free. And that was lone once. That's it.

I tin conscionable spell and present myself. That's the lone vantage I have. Otherwise, getting work, getting a film—that's wholly up to destiny."For him, the hustle continues—with auditions, rejections, and the grind of earning each role.

"I americium precise arrogant of each the auditions I person given. And I americium inactive giving auditions due to the fact that I americium an actor. And that's what is required of me."Conclusion: Redefining Stardom connected Their Own TermsIn an manufacture built connected visibility, the determination to measurement distant from the spotlight often invites speculation. But for galore prima kids, choosing a antithetic way isn’t astir failure—it’s astir self-definition. Whether it's producing films, moving palmy businesses, oregon simply opting for a quieter, much backstage life, their journeys bespeak that occurrence successful Bollywood isn't one-size-fits-all. Theirs are stories of strategy, reinvention, and autonomy—proof that successful the ever-evolving scenery of Indian cinema, stardom is nary longer confined to the metallic screen.