Koffee with Karan Season 8: Why Sara Ali Khan comes across as more real than Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor

Sara Ali Khan may not be the best actor of the lot, but she's managed to skirt the nepotism debate much better than her contemporaries.

Let's say we're not fans of Sara Ali Khan, the actor, or Sara Ali Khan, the shayara. But we're fans of Sara Ali Khan, the hustler. Her hustle isn't a compensation for her privilege or part of her brand image. Hustle is as much a part of her life as her privilege. (Also Read: Koffee With Karan: Sara Ali Khan addresses breakup with Kartik Aaryan, says ‘it isn’t always easy')

Sara Ali Khan made her third appearance on Koffee with Karan

It's exactly why Sara comes across more real, easy, and organic than her contemporaries Ananya Panday and Janhvi Kapoor. If the last 10 minutes of the new episode of Koffee with Karan Season 8 with Sara and Ananya are to go by, Sara is such a hoot and we can't wait to see more of that.

Less obsessed with appearance

Sara confessed on Koffee with Karan that she's never placed equity in her appearance because she used to be ‘large’. While that can go in the opposite direction and make one more appearance-conscious when one loses some extra kilos, Sara said she's always focused on enriching her inner world. She's focused more on hobbies like travelling and reading and cultivating a personality that transcends looks. Do you remember the old video where a plus-sized Sara is dancing away to her heart's content? You can't look away.

Sara has a degree

Sara belongs to the lineage of Rabindranath Tagore. Her grandfather Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and father Saif Ali Khan have both studied from Winchester College. It's no surprise that education is a priority for Sara. She's a history buff and has graduated from Columbia University. It's not just the books that have made her wiser, but her confidence stems from the fact that she could've been anything else, but she chose to be an actor.

Not your regular nepo baby

Sara's background and upbringing are different from Ananya's and Janhvi's because firstly, her parents have never been media-friendly like Boney Kapoor or Chunky Panday. Both Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh have remained elusive for years. They're not on social media and don't give too many interviews or appearances. Sure, Sridevi was also not the most forthcoming either, but the actor's aura preceded her presence. Neither Saif nor Amrita seems like the kind who'd bother to pick up the phone to call a director to cast Sara.

Most importantly, Sara has seen a broken marriage in her parents. No matter how accomplished both her parents were, the fact is that they ceased to be a unit. She may have her father by her side, but she's grown up in front of a single mother, which is bound to make any girl imbibe the hustle. For instance, Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor may belong to an illustrious film family, but the separation of their parents never got them any launching pad. They had to work their way up. In fact, the perception that Kapoor girls don't work in movies only worked against them. Similarly, Kajol didn't have her filmmaker father to launch her, and neither did Sara.

Also, it helps that Sara's break wasn't in a Dharma film. While she may be doing movies under Karan Johar's production house, the fact that she didn't announce her arrival with Dhadak or Student of the Year does help her cause. Her brother Ibrahim Ali Khan made inroads into Bollywood with Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, but as an Assistant Director, scaling the food chain step by step. Arjun Kapoor (Kal Ho Naa Ho) and Varun Dhawan (My Name Is Khan) also started similarly, but that was a time when they weren't already stars, thanks to social media. Ibrahim already is.

Not apologetic about her privilege

Janhvi has often spoken about bleeding for her art because she has an insecurity that she doesn't deserve the opportunities enough. Sara would rather make the art bleed for her. In less mean words, she's not had to face constant trolling for nepotism like Janhvi and Ananya, because she never apologised for her privilege. Yes, she acknowledged her bad performances and strived to do better, but the response was to accept criticism about her work, and not about where she comes from.

Before the Koffee gets Cold' is a weekly column that goes beyond the froth to study the storm inside the Koffee cup.

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