The term nepotism had become widely used when actress Kangana Ranaut accused filmmaker Karan Johar of being a "flagbearer of nepotism" two years ago in his own chat show Koffee with Karan 5. Many Bollywood celebrities including star kids like Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt and Janhvi Kapoor have given their two cents on the hot topic in the past. Some may agree with them, some may not. So when TV czarina Ekta Kapoor (daughter of veteran actor Jeetendra) tickled the concept in her Instagram post while promoting upcoming film Laila Majnu, Tiger Shroff's mother Ayesha Shroff took offence at the use of her words.
"Promo in two hours max! Pls see a glimpse of this piece of cinema about raw timeless love untamed by the commerce of films helmed by the best @imtiazaliofficial and lived by two yet unknown talents who have no film legacy or star fathers or godfathers," Ekta Kapoor wrote on Instagram while sharing a poster of Laila Majnu featuring the two debutants - Avinash Tiwary and Tripti Dimri. She is co-producing the film along with filmmaker Imtiaz Ali. The movie is being directed by Sajid Ali.
Her remark didn't go down really well with Ayesha Shroff, whose son Tiger Shroff was launched in Bollywood by Sajid Nadiadwala in Heropanti in 2014. Thereafter, Tiger went on to star in films like Baaghi, A Flying Jatt, Munna Michael and Baaghi 2 and carved a niche for himself in the industry with his sheer hardwork and dedication. He is currently shooting for Karan Johar-produced Student Of The Year 2.
Defending her son Tiger in her subtle reply, Ayesha Shroff said, "It's not a sin to have a star father my dear! Hard work and talent is the same no matter what caste. creed or lineage."
Ekta, who is the Joint Managing Director and Creative Director of her production company Balaji Telefilms, replied to Ayesha saying that she has to admit the fact that things gets tough for a producer when it comes to turning around a film with newcomers with no lineage. She also clarified her stance that she didn't mean disrespect towards any star kid least of all Tiger as she thinks he is doing a fantastic job in films.
Though Ayesha didn't stretch the discussion any further and decided to walk off, it remains to be seen how other celebrities would take Ekta Kapoor's words as she herself is a star kid with lineage.
