"Nepotism" has been a buzzword for the longest time in the ever-growing film fraternity.
Star kids such as Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, and Sara Ali Khan - so to speak - have always been on one end of the metric scale where their credibility is repeatedly questioned, while actors such as Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, even Ranveer Singh (for that matter, who's not entirely from the inner circle), have received the acknowledgement they seek as actors, time and again.
This has been the differentiating norm, and these examples have been used for quite some time now. That is why the outsider vs insider topic soars every time there is a star kid on the brink of their big Bollywood debut.
However, 2025 seemed to have changed the ball game.
Not-So "Starry" Star Kids
2025 saw a fresh crop of budding actors. While the 'privileged' nepo babies - namely Shanaya Kapoor, Ibrahim Ali Khan, and Rasha Thadani - had their two minutes of fame through glossy first looks and sharply edited promos, their debut projects refused to leave a lasting impression.
Shanaya Kapoor (L) Ibrahim Ali Khan (M) Rasha Thadani (R)
Perhaps Ahaan Panday was the only dark horse, who, though he does not consider himself to be a "star kid", had quite the blockbuster year with Saiyaara.
Ahaan Panday in Saiyaara
On the contrary, "new" but not-so-new faces such as Aneet Padda, Anya Singh, and Sahher Bambaa - who have been around but missed the bull's eye - caught the attention of the audience this time.
Aneet Padda (L) Anya Singh (M) Sahher Bambba (L)
The year started with social media flooding with the groovy Uyi Amma soundtrack. Rasha Thadani, the daughter of one of the '90s reigning queens Raveena Tandon, made heads turn with the song's hookstep and natural spark on camera. While there was a general curiosity surrounding her as 'Raveena's daughter', she truly radiated spark. Even today, the Internet continues to be obsessed with her.
She debuted with Ajay Devgn's nephew Aaman Devgan in Abhishek Kapoor's Azaad, whose light somewhere got dimmed in Rasha's shot to popularity. Either way, the film was forgotten way quicker with Uyi Amma becoming a chartbuster and trending on social media.
Then came Ibrahim Ali Khan, the Pataudi prince, with all eyes on his 'good looks, good looks, and good looks'. A spitting image of his father, actor Saif Ali Khan, Ibrahim's washboard abs and chiselled jawline in a coming-of-age rom-com Nadaaniyan had all the Gen-Z girls swooning over him.
Until the film dropped. The young actor debuted with Boney Kapoor and Sridevi's younger daughter, Khushi Kapoor, who debuted with 2023's Netflix film The Archies.
The merciless Internet trolled the new onscreen couple to a T, from poor dialogue delivery to zero onscreen chemistry. Their hopes and dreams pinned on Ibrahim shattered and the downward spiral continued with his film Sarzameen, which was released later that year on JioStar alongside Kajol and Prithviraj Sukumaran. While the trailer once again raised expectations with Ibrahim in a raging avatar, the plot fell flat, as did the audience's hope.
Ibrahim in Sarzameen
Shanaya Kapoor had more setbacks than breakout moments with just her debut project. Initially set to debut with Dharma Productions' Bedhadak with Lakshya of Kill fame and Gurfateh Pirzada (Guilty), she eventually starred in Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan with Vikrant Massey.
Alas, picturesque locations, a romantic hero serenading his leading lady to ballroom dances and cheesy dialogues, heartbreak made to look beautiful - as is the flavour of the season - could not keep this film afloat.
Shanaya and Vikrant in Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan
Point to be noted here: actor Sanjay Kapoor and jewellery designer, actor Maheep Kapoor's daughter Shanaya Kapoor is quite the social media star with a staggering social media following of 2.4 million for a newcomer.
But that's what we meant by a 'shift' in the whole nepotism debate - maybe good looks, social media followers, and just the hype around star kids are no longer the prerequisites for the audience to be hooked on screen.
Odd Ones In
There were two other heroes from the same nepo gang, one behind the camera and one in front of it, who did not disappoint.
There comes Ahaan Panday, who, as his cousin Ananya Panday recently shared, only hoped that just one person would see his romantic musical, Mohit Suri's Saiyaara.
The rest is history, as it went on to become one of the biggest Hindi-grossing films of 2025, with Ahaan Panday bagging every accolade of being literally the "star" of the year with just his first film.
And then we had the reclusive Aryan Khan. The pride and perils of being superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son come with a barrage of exceeding expectations.
But the whole 'Baatein kam kaam zyaada' gamble paid off for Aryan Khan, who made his debut in showbiz not as an actor but as a director with The Ba***ds of Bollywood. Mirroring the deepest secrets and darkest realities of the world of cinema that is often veiled from the public eye, who only see the glamour it exudes.
Everything is executed in style, with reverence for the field Aryan Khan's outsider-father now belongs to, and it doubles down on nostalgia, rich with film references.
The series was a solid punch, packed with viral moments such as the Emraan Hashmi obsession, Aryan Khan skilfully embedding the DDLJ 'Palat' moment of his father in the title announcement video, and lo and behold, the self-aware satire being mounted on the 'Nepotism' conversation as it told the story of an outsider cracking his way up in Bollywood, while the insiders just strut in because legacy makes way for them.
For someone who grew in the inner circle, Aryan Khan danced to the tunes of the resounding success of The B***ds of Bollywood and quite rightfully so.
Old "Newcomers"
A clearer picture of how the audience only wants talent to speak has never been painted as vividly as we saw in 2025.
To highlight, names like Aneet Padda, Anya Singh, Sahher Bambaa, and even Vedika Pinto of Nishaanchi had the Internet taking more notice of them than the upcoming stars from the clan of the last of the stars.
The interesting angle is that none of the projects they did this year was their first. These four names have been associated with small OTT stints or less commercialised projects in the last few years.
Aneet Padda had a small role in the 2022 film Salaam Venky with Kajol. She then starred in the 2024 Prime Video series Big Girls Don't Cry. But Saiyaara hit different, and suddenly she was what the Internet loves to use time and again - "overnight sensation".
Sahher Bambaa made her big Bollywood debut in the 2019 Sunny Deol directorial Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas opposite Karan Deol, which unfortunately tanked. Aryan Khan was clear about getting a fresh face for The B***ds of Bollywood, and so he did in Sahher as Karishma Talwar - the "accessible" nepo-baby set to make her big debut in Bollywood in a Dharma Productions film nonetheless (Karan Johar clearly did it for bhai Shah Rukh Khan's son).
Anya Singh made her debut quite a while back with the 2017 Yash Raj Films Qaidi Band. Unnoticed as she was, she did gain a small pool of admirers with fun shows like Never Kiss Your Best Friend on ZEE5, but Aryan Khan truly put her talent to the test as she turned 'Manager of the year' with The B***ds of Bollywood. Anya, as the no-nonsense Sanya, manager to lead actor Aasmaan Singh (Lakshya), grabbed eyeballs and how! And she is indeed on a roll, for the Border 2 teaser dropped yesterday, and the sprightly actress is cast opposite Ahaan Shetty.
Beginning Of The End
As the year nears its end, it's the not-so-new newcomers who continue to create buzz while disappointing debuts by stars grapple to get back into the audience's focus.
While fans wait for Sahher Bambaa's next announcement, Anya Singh is gearing up for Border 2, releasing next year. Aneet Padda is the star of this bandwagon, with her first Maddock Universe film already announced - Shakti Shalini.
As for the star kids, there's still hope and more potential that has to be tapped into. Passing traces of which were seen in their debut projects: Shanaya Kapoor did show promise, while Ibrahim Ali Khan almost gained ground with Sarzameen, before losing it all over again. Rasha has Laikey Laikaa with Munjya's Abhay Verma, a rank outsider. Ahaan Panday will next be seen in Ali Abbas Zafar's untitled action romance.
But it's much more than the glint of their starry background in this age and time; to debut must be easy, to sustain is tougher.
Never say never, but 2025 was all about shifting gears and gazing beyond stars who become actors, and actors who become stars.
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