On January 14, 2000, Filmkraft's Kaho Naa Pyar Hai was released. It was a launchpad for director Rakesh Roshan's son, Hrithik.
On January 14, 2000, Filmkraft's 'Kaho Naa Pyar Hai' was released. It was a launchpad for director Rakesh Roshan's son, Hrithik. And although Hrithik's debut may be the sort of stuff dreams are made of, not every star kid has achieved that kind of success.
Only last year, two filmi scions, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Ranbir Kapoor, both of whom won critical acclaim for their performances in their debut efforts, could not enjoy the luxury of having a 'hit' attached to their first film. This year, a slew of star kids will be taking a bow at the turnstiles.
Mimoh Chakraborty and Sikandar Kher have already had their tryst with box office disasters in 'Jimmy' and 'Woodstock Villa' respectively, this year. Last week, Shekhar Suman's son Adhyayan made his debut in 'Haal-E-Dil'. While the film has received some of the worst reviews possible, Adhyayan has just about escaped the wrath of the critics. But the 20-year-old seems unperturbed. "I always wanted to be an actor," he says. "But I was overweight, so I opted to go to The New York Film Academy for a course in direction. I miraculously lost weight during my stay there. Today, I'm just glad I'm getting to live my dream."
The big debut is Harry Baweja's magnum opus 'Love Story 2050', starring son Harman and releasing on July 4. In-the-making for more than two years, the film has a lavish budget of around Rs50 crore and deals with time travel. It is nothing short of a dream debut.
"There's fear because some big banners have signed me and audiences are bound to have a huge expectation. This is my first baby step into the industry and that's how the film should be looked upon," says the 27-year-old Harman who has been working on his father's films as assistant director for the nine years.
Also releasing on the same day is another much looked-forward-to debut, that of Imran Khan, nephew of actor Aamir Khan. This one's a frothy love story and Imran promises to bring back the chocolate-boy hero. Even Farhan Akhtar, director of films like 'Dil Chahta Hai' and a star kid in his own right, will be making his debut as actor with the home production 'Rock On'.
But not many tinsel town daughters are hitting the marquee this year. Kumar Mangat, producer of 'Omkara', launched his daughter, Amita in 'Haal-E-Dil' with Adhyayan Suman. Although talks of Govinda's daughter Narmada making her debut have been doing the rounds for a while, nothing has been announced officially. But the going is not always easy.
Sikandar Kher says, "I may have it easy in terms of meeting producers or directors, but no one will invest crores just because of the family name. We need talent to survive in this industry."
Meanwhile, star sons can keep adding films to their kitties. As Shekhar Suman says, "It's nice to have a son in the same business. We can discuss work at the dinner table. That's something I never got to do with my banker father."
g_aniruddha@dnaindia.net
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