Imran Khan Says Film Industry Has Been A "Family Business With A Lot Of Incest Within": "Nobody Has Complaints About Ranbir Kapoor"

Imran Khan has recently weighed in on the ongoing nepotism debate. 

What's Happening

• Imran Khan, in an interview with News18, shared that discussions around film families and privilege were already prevalent when he entered the industry in 2008.
• Imran made his debut with Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. 
• "If I made my debut today, I think it would've been the same, really. But I certainly heard those things even then. It has been a part of the discourse when I joined the business. In the Indian film industry - I don't want to single out only the Hindi film industry - there has been a long-standing pattern of it being a family business and there being a lot of incest within (laughs). That has historically been a feature of the industry. So, that conversation has always been around," he said.
• According to Imran, the scrutiny intensifies when the work does not meet audience expectations. "We really only care about it to the extent that the quality of the film suffers or improves. Some people from the film families become wonderful actors and directors - Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar and Hrithik Roshan. They're very, very skilled and talented people. And I don't think that anyone has an issue with that," he shared.
• He cited Ranbir Kapoor as an example of an actor whose performances have shifted the focus away from background to ability. "Ranbir's from film royalty. His family founded the film industry. But he's a fantastic actor and nobody has any complaints about that. I really think that the issue comes in when people don't like the quality of their work. If they don't think that you're a good actor or a filmmaker, then they'll criticise you very rightly," Imran stated.

"It's A More Filled Media Landscape"

The actor believes that the scale of the industry today has also contributed to the intensity of the debate. 

He said, "The conversation swings basis the quality of work. Where we're today, I think perhaps there's greater saturation than ever before. And that may also partly be because it's a more filled media landscape."

He added that the volume of content being produced has expanded significantly over the years. 

"There was a time when there was just less stuff out there. There were fewer films and lesser content on television. Today, there are more films, TV shows and web shows. And that's why we get to see more people. And with the sheer volume of people entering the business increasing, there can be more opinions and a wider range of great talent to poor talent," he added.