Alia Bhatt admits nepotism gave her easy start but believes audiences are ultimate judge of talent

It’s been years but the ‘Nepotism’ debate in Bollywood is endless and has been a hot topic always. Alia Bhatt, daughter of Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan, has finally shared her thoughts on the matter.

In a recent interview with Vogue India, Alia admitted that nepotism gave her an easy start in the industry, but ultimately it's the audience that decides whether an actor belongs there or not.

Here's what she said

She stated, “Building a body of work that hopefully proves I belong to this industry is the only thing I can do. Of course, Nepotism will get you into the room, but after that, it’s up to you how you work it out. The audience watching us is the ultimate judge of talent. You may be from a background that has high respect and priority. However, the audience will eventually decide if you belong there or not.”

Alia's comments come in the wake of Priyanka Chopra's recent statements on the same topic, where the latter acknowledged the advantages that star kids have in Bollywood.

What Priyanka Chopra Jonas had said

However, Priyanka also shared that not having a godfather in the industry made her fear for her career when her films initially didn't do well.

Priyanka, on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast, said, “I was petrified when those 5 films didn’t perform well because I ain’t a no baby. I don't have any such support that exists in a big way in the film industry. You don't have an uncle who would make another film for you only because your last one failed badly.”

Despite acknowledging the benefits of nepotism, Alia believes that hard work and audience appreciation are the ultimate factors that determine an actor's success in the industry.