Saif Ali Khan photographed in Mumbai. (courtesy: actorsaifalikhan)
Strong points
- “There are inequalities in India that need to be explored,” said Saif
- “No one is talking about it,” he added.
- “Nepotism, favoritism and camps are different subjects,” said Saif.
New Delhi:
On Twitter, #SaifAliKhan has been trending all day. The reason – the 49-year-old actor dropped the word “N” (as in nepotism) during an interview. Saif, son of actress Sharmila Tagore and great cricketer Tiger Pataudi, entered somewhat confusing waters by portraying himself as a “victim of nepotism”. Before going any further, Saif Ali Khan has in the past defended nepotism and has also lectured to the public on the intricacies of eugenics. Keeping that in mind, read what Saif said The new Indian Express in an interview: “There are inequalities in India that need to be explored. Nepotism, patronage and camps are different subjects. Even I have been a victim of nepotism but nobody talks about it. I’m happy to see more people from film institutes come to the fore. “
While his comments on inequality and the defense of merit are welcome, the fact that Saif considers himself to have been somewhat disadvantaged by nepotism rather than having benefited from it is disconcerting – especially since he did not provide an explanation of why he thinks he is a victim. The Internet does not buy it. Twitter, in its element, has turned the alleged victimization of Saif Ali Khan into memes and jokes.
Saif Ali Khan complaining about nepotism is like: pic.twitter.com/svK7zkel50
– Mr. Stark (@Mr_Stark_) July 2, 2020
When Saif Ali Khan says,
He is a victim of nepotism.
Public: pic.twitter.com/NvtfO9VxdB– RaFi (@IamRaaFii) July 2, 2020
There were also many tweets reminding the actor not only of his own lineage but also of his heritage.
Saif Ali Khan says he is a victim of nepotism, so Sara Ali khan is definitely a victim of her acting skills!
– DOPE. (@Antic_piece) July 2, 2020
Not only Saif Ali Khan but also Taimur were victims of nepotism pic.twitter.com/72JnA4BdJY
– Souvik Nag (@SouvikNag_tatai) July 2, 2020
And what about this national award? Saif Ali Khan won the national award for best actor for his performance in 2004 rom-com Hum Tum, raising several eyebrows at the time and raising speculation that the office of his mother Sharmila Tagore as head of the censorship committee had been a factor in his victory. Twitter thinks that other performances of the year deserved the award better – Shah Rukh Khan’s in Swades, for example.
Saif Ali Khan says he has been a nepotist. Yes, that’s why you got the national award for Hum Tum instead of SRK for Swades. #SRK#ShahRukhKhan
Slap Clap for you #Saifalikhanpic.twitter.com/MsFVvvSPOU
– Rohit Agrawal (@ rohit__6428) July 2, 2020
“Saif Ali Khan says he was a nepotist. Yes, that’s why you received the national award for Hum Tum instead of SRK for Swades. Slow applause for your Saif Ali Khan, “wrote a Twitter user.
#SaifAliKhan khan saying that i was also a victim of nepotism
The biggest theft in national awards happened because of your mom. Everyone was sure that SRK would get it for Swades.
But Saif got it for the usual Rom Com Hum tum.– Raees Happu (@TheBoy_WhoIived) July 2, 2020
Saif Ali Khan’s talent is not at issue here – performances like Langda Tyagi in Omkara and Sartaj Singh in Sacred games speak for themselves. However, talking about nepotism in an informed and sensible way seems to clearly overtake him, one of the most educated and cerebral members of Bollywood, as is the case for the others.
In 2017, Saif joined filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Varun Dhawan to sing “Nepotism Rocks” at the IIFA Awards – it was a response to actress Kangana Ranaut calling KJo “standard bearer of nepotism” in Bollywood on her show Koffee with Karan. Shortly after, Saif said First post that those of us discussing nepotism actually confused it with “eugenics and genetics”, compounding his improbable argument by writing an open letter in DNA where he compared the breeding of racehorses to star children.
In terms of work, Saif Ali Khan has a very busy schedule. Its range of films includes hunter and Bhoot Police . The actor played in the drama of the period Tanhaji: the unknown warrior and dramatic comedy Jawaani Jaaneman this year.
