'What's wrong in wanting best for your child?': Tanuj Virwani

New Delhi,UPDATED: Apr 4, 2024 19:27 IST

Actor Tanuj Virwani, last seen in ‘Yodha’, spoke to IndiaToday.in about the whole nepotism debate that surrounds star kids. He also shared whether being actor Rati Agnihotri’s son ever helped him in his career. The 'Inside Edge' actor said that although he is proud of his mother’s accomplishments, he wants to be a ‘self-made person’.

Tanuj Virwani, last seen in ‘Yodha’ and host of ‘MTV Splitsvilla X5’, spoke to IndiaToday.in about the perks and cons of being Rati Agnihotri’s son. When asked if being a star kid ever helped him in his career, the actor told us, “It’s a bit of a double-edged sword. There definitely are advantages of being a star kid because of the respect and regard that my mom has commanded and the equation she has had with so many people from our fraternity. They will obviously meet you, give you their blessings, advice and even grant you a meeting. They might give you an audition.”

He added, “But after that, if you think just because you're so-and-so’s son, and you're going to get one opportunity after the other, then just pack your bags and say that because it does not work like that. You might get one odd opportunity in the beginning, but it doesn't work like that.”

Tanuj continued, “The filmmakers, everyone thinks that you have to be as good as your famous parents from your first to second film only, which is next to impossible. Because that only happens with experience, which you learn on the job. You could go to all the fancy film schools all over the world, but what happens in our industry, what you learn on set and what you are able to communicate on the day in the moment in front of camera, is what matters. That's something I learnt very early on.”

Tanuj also shared, "There are advantages and disadvantages, but in my case, I didn't face that too much because for the longest time, I, consciously, use my dad's last name, which is Virwani and my mom’s screen name is Agnihotri. Even today, so many people come up to me and ask me why didn’t I tell them I am Rati Agnihotri’s son. And I am like, ‘Why would I say that?’."

“I'm very proud of my mom, but at the same time, I want to be a self-made person,” he said. Further adding, “I want my successes and failures to be my own. That's something that I've always been very clear about. The pluses and minuses even out in the long run.”

We asked Tanuj Virwani if he felt the whole debate around nepotism is unfair and irrelevant. He told us, “I feel it's been highlighted a lot more in the past 3 to 4 years, but if you notice carefully, nepotism has always been in our system. It's not just in the film industry. It happens everywhere, because what's wrong with wanting the best for your child? If you built an empire or if you built a certain amount of goodwill in that particular industry, you will want your child to reap the benefits and dividends of that.”

He added, “At the same time, you don't want to make them entitled where they forget what it is to work hard and just expect everything on a silver or golden platter. There's a difference in that. But you need to create the best opportunity for kids to succeed, which is nothing wrong with that. And finally, when the birds leave the nest, they have to learn to fly on their own. How much are you going to hold their hand after a point? The audience is the judge, jury, and execution. There are countless examples of star kids who did not have what it took, so they didn't make it. And there're so many people who come from the outside, and they are able to sustain and make it because they have what it takes.”

“You need the ‘jigar’ (guts), you need to be at the right place at the right time, work hard and be lucky, there are a couple of different factors”, he concluded.