Pooja Bedi reacts to Kartik Aaryan being 'dropped' from Dostana 2: 'People are envious of those who have privilege'
Pooja Bedi has said that it is 'unfair' to blame nepotism for star kids joining the film industry, because 'there is equal opportunity' for all, and the 'people are envious of people with privilege'.
Actor Pooja Bedi, reacting to the recent news of Kartik Aaryan's dismissal from Dostana 2, has said that an actor's career boils down to 'destiny, potential, and talent'. A portion of Dostana 2 was filmed with Kartik and Janhvi Kapoor before it was announced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions that the project would be recast.
The announcement came shortly after rumours about the actor's dismissal began doing the rounds. His fans took to social media to call out what they perceived as an example of the film industry treating an 'outsider' unfairly.
Asked about the nepotism debate in Bollywood, particularly in relationship to the Kartik incident, Pooja told a leading daily that 'there's equal opportunity for everyone'. She said that she, too, had to audition for the show Masaba Masaba, and that 'people are envious of people who have a certain privilege'. Pooja said that it is 'unfair' to blame nepotism for an actor's child wanting to become an actor.
Citing examples of 'outsiders' who made it and industry personalities who didn't, she said, "We have Preity G Zinta, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan and so many other people who have come into the industry with no background and become icons. At the same time, we have people who've been part of the industry, and yet fizzled out. Kumar Gaurav made a great debut with Love Story, but his career didn't take off."
She said that her daughter, Alaya F, also had to face multiple rejections before she made her Bollywood debut in Jawaani Jaaneman, with Saif Ali Khan and Tabu.
Pooja became embroiled in a controversy recently, when she posted pictures from Goa and suggested that living under lockdown and wearing masks was a form of self-imprisonment. She was criticised for flaunting her privilege and expecting regular people to escape crowded cities and live a lifestyle like hers.
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