Those who have read my older blogs know that I am someone who hates the “anti-nepotism” brigade that used someone’s tragic death as a weapon to spew their venom and are a bunch of losers who refuse to acknowledge the hard work and merit of those who deserve it, just because they come from a family with movie connections, or “star kids.” They irk me big time as it is very evident that their “protest” comes from a place of undue, generalized hatred and not really sensible criticism of only the ones who get undeserving opportunities and tags of success. And I have written about this in multiple contexts.

So it must come as a surprise that I write now about how actual, blatant nepotism irks me as much as the anti-nepotism brigade does. While I still stand by those star kids who have proven their merit by working their asses off and reaching heights despite the senseless hatred thrown their way, there is another section that actually feeds the fire of this hatred by continuously giving poor performances and still getting opportunity after opportunity, only owing to their lineage.

And in cases where there was a dip in career, rightly so, thanks to their lack of talent, a few years later, suddenly, there is a PR high announcing “comebacks” or projecting them as “once-amazing actors” who deserve a comeback, as seen recently with a few “tier-2/3 Khans.” All of a sudden, you start seeing them everywhere, making you wonder why they deserve all that attention and praise in the first place and cringe thinking of their absolutely lacklustre performances from yesteryears.

Bollywood has been bashed for this blatant show-off of nepotism primarily and mostly solely in India – unfairly so I would say, as the get-togethers of some Southern industries can pretty much be synonymous with family events, with attendees belonging to hardly two or three extended families. And while family connections and star children growing up wanting to choose acting/filmmaking as their career are nothing to be hated in a general way, what is irksome about this trend of engaging in open nepotism is, as I said before, the made-up success stories of those absolutely not worthy of it, when other, genuinely talented youngsters are sidelined and struggle.

It was here that the Malayalam industry stood out because the audience was always welcoming of great stories and good filmmaking despite the big M fanbases. Naturally, when the next generation stepped into movies following their dads/moms, which in itself is not something I view as nepotism, the Malayali audience made sure that their success came only with merit, not because of their lineage. Fahadh is the best example of this.

Son of one of the most influential and revered directors, Fazil, the one behind legendary gems like Manichithrathazhu, Fahadh made his debut as an actor in his father’s movie and experienced failure like no other star kid did before or after him. The audience gave their verdict, and he accepted it with grace and moved away instead of getting offered more movies only due to his father’s legacy or the kind of nepotism that was prevalent elsewhere, until he was ready to turn a new leaf. And that comeback remains history, with him going on to become a class apart from all his contemporaries in his range and talent, cementing himself as the best of that generation.

What was amazing about the Malayalam industry is that just like Fahadh or Dulquer Salmaan (son of the big M, Mammootty) found their foothold in the industry and garnered a fanbase going beyond borders, so did absolute outsiders like Nivin Pauly, Tovino Thomas, and Basil Joseph. While Vineeth Sreenivasan has (had?) his own fanbase as a director, singer, and actor, it was never because he is the son of the legendary Sreenivasan who was phenomenal in his role in strengthening the foundation of Malayalam movies. And when Vineeth started faltering in his directorial attempts later, no amount of PR could whitewash the negative verdict that came from the audience. His dad’s success or his own previous success did not cushion the fall for him, just as they didn’t cushion his brother Dhyan’s career, where audience consistently call him out for doing pathetic movies. And despite being a pan-Indian director, it really wasn’t Priyadarshan’s aura that finally helped Kalyani make the mark with Lokah.

It is here that I feel absolutely embarrassed about the other big M, Mohanlal’s efforts in launching his kids’ acting careers. And I say this as a huge fan of the actor. In fact, I rue the fact that despite being the best actor in the whole world (and I do mean it with all my heart), there is a whole other world that does not know that such a legend exists. Every time I see Hollywood actors being hailed as the GOAT, I wonder, “What would you say if you saw Mohanlal’s peak performance from the 80s and 90s?” So don’t even think of tearing me down as a mean hater here because I am not.

Anyway, coming back to our topic, I mean, sure, all parents might want to give a push to their kids. Even Mammootty who was graceful in handling Dulquer’s debut without using his star power for his son’s promotion must have, I’m sure, helped in some ways behind the scenes, and that is fine, as long as Dulquer did his part in the public eye the best way he could and worked his way up, earning the love of the audience with his work. Sadly, Mohanlal’s way of handling his kids’ career launch and, quite honestly, the rest of their career is just way over the top, for lack of another phrase.

When Pranav was launched in his first acting role, the hype that came with it, only because of the consistent social media push, directly from Mohanlal and the rest of his team, was surreal. And then, people saw Pranav acting, and except for the hardcore Mohanlal fans, I don’t think anyone believed that he really wanted to be an actor in the first place. Don’t get me wrong – I like the guy, who from what I’ve heard, is a very down-to-earth and simple being.

But truly, Pranav’s work has consistently shown that either he really doesn’t want to do this but is forced to do it for others or he wants to but sincerely doesn’t have the talent to support such a career. I’m sure there must be a number of things he is actually amazing at, and it just seems odd with diehard Mohanlal fans and his father’s team literally humiliating him by hyping him up when the truth is out there for people to see. His performance was better in his last movie, Dies Irae, compared to his previous movies, but mostly because it really didn’t demand much from him as an actor. Fans are wrong in attributing that movie’s success to him because it is still very early to see if he gets to turn a new leaf like Fahadh once did. But what makes them different is the absolutely grounded journey that Fahadh had, which isn’t offered to Pranav, even if he wants it, by the ones who are just not ready to let him be what he is.

And just when I thought that is the only blemish in the Malayalam industry’s no-nepotism history (maybe keeping aside the rather embarrassing press conference done by Manoj K Jayan at his daughter’s launch), Mohanlal went ahead and launched his daughter, Vismaya. Trust me, I am not judging her before her first movie even comes out – in fact, if she does well in it and goes on to succeed, that’s great for her. But the problem here again is the approach to that launch. The first poster itself says “Vismaya Mohanlal’s Thudakkam,” which probably is a nod to her debut and meant as a wordplay. But it made me wonder how on earth she earned her name on the poster before she has even had a chance of showing us whether she deserves it or not. How is it fair to her in any way that she is given this privilege only because of her surname?

It was only made more embarrassing by the cringeworthy Facebook post by the director of the movie, where he proclaims his eternal gratitude to Mohanlal and family for “entrusting” him with their daughter and her career, and Suchithra Mohanlal’s speech at the movie’s launch, where she spoke proudly about how when Vismaya said she wanted to act, they asked the director for stories, how they rejected a couple of stories he brought to them, how she kept wondering why he wasn’t bringing more stories, and how they decided finally on a story. Anyone sensible who read this post and listened to this speech must have been thinking the same, “Why are you telling everyone so openly that you are giving her the career she wants on a silver platter?” I mean, of course you would help. But this is not help – this is a tone-deaf narration that reeks of privilege in the worst way possible.

How they believe that they are being fair to their children by doing all this, I do not know. All I know is that in the history of Malayalam industry, such cringeworthy promotion of one’s kids using everyone you know from the industry has not really happened before. If that isn’t nepotism, what is? And that is a shame, considering that the one at the helm of all this is one of our biggest stars who came from nowhere and made a name for himself as the best actor of all times. It would have been nice if he let his kids choose their path, guiding them gently, but letting them find their way, making their own mistakes, and learning from those. Right now, he and those who worship him are mostly setting them up for failure. If the kids are wise enough to understand that and learn from their mistakes and make a name for themselves – great. If not, the failure is not really theirs, it is their parents’ and their followers’.

I’ll end with a heartfelt wish that this remains just an “exception” and does not become a norm in an industry where talent and merit have always been the cornerstones of success and we don’t fall prey to the trend of engaging in outright nepotism here. And Pranav and Vismaya, this is in no way a scathing criticism of you both or hatred thrown your way – I truly wish that you both end up being amazing in whatever you choose to do.

Also published on Medium.