Tusshar Kapoor says he once waited 12-14 hours for Kareena Kapoor; reveals reason for writing book: ‘Wanted to prove star kids aren’t dumb dropouts’
In the past few years, the words ‘nepotism’ and ‘star kids’ have almost become cuss words for the Bollywood industry. While many prefer to dance themselves from the debate about the privileges of star kids, others continue to offer their thoughts on it and the latest celebrity to discuss the subject is Tusshar Kapoor. The actor, who is Jeetendra’s son, says star kids don’t have it easy, contrary to popular perception.
Speaking to Divya Dutta on the second day of the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival at Kasauli, Tusshar said that he considers himself an outsider as well. “A red carpet is not laid out for every star kid. While shooting for my debut film, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, I had to wait for my co-star and another star kid Kareena Kapoor Khan for 12-14 hours as she was simultaneously working on four films. Her first film was yet to release but such was the demand for her that she had already signed all these films.” Tusshar added that he wanted to dispel the popular notion that ‘star kids are dumb dropouts’, which is why he wrote a book.
He said, “After my son came into my life, everybody – be it acquaintances, media persons, colleagues or friends – would ask me: How do you manage? So, I decided to publish a book on the subject. Besides, the general perception is that star kids are dumb drop-outs, who can hardly string two words together and I wanted to prove that that’s not true.” Tusshar welcomed his son Lakshya via surrogacy in 2016.
In an interview to The Indian Express in June, Tusshar had said that he had made his own path: “I was launched in a film which wasn’t a home production. The films which I did were very different, unlike what my father did, be it Golmaal, Khakee, Shor in the City or Dirty Picture. I’ve always taken all the discussions around being a star son or expectations very superficially. The audience needs to judge you and like you. What a few people talk is not important. What the larger diaspora thinks is what matters. It’s okay to have your own place. You don’t have to be like someone else.”
