Sonam Kapoor on nepotism: People complaining should go read a dictionary first

Actor Sonam Kapoor says the whole clamour over nepotism in the Hindi film industry this year left her amused because if one goes by the term’s meaning in the dictionary, it is something that happens everywhere.

Sonam, the daughter of veteran actor Anil Kapoor, broke down the meaning of nepotism, and shared her take on the controversy during a chat for online streaming service Saavn’s show Take 2 with Anupama and Rajeev.

She said: “The whole industry has gotten involved in it and I’ve just laughed through the whole thing. Little knowledge like they say is very dangerous knowledge... So, through this whole thing, I was like should I just put out the meaning of it on Twitter and my mother was like ‘Stay away from the whole thing!’ I was like, ‘Mom how can people not know what it means?’”

The nepotism debate in Bollywood was sparked off when actor Kangana Ranaut called filmmaker Karan Johar a “flagbearer of nepotism” on his talk show.

Sonam says very few people understand the true meaning of the word.

“I would love to explain what that means. Nepotism means that any relationship, any job or any privilege that you get due to any relationship -- it could be a relative, it could be a friend, it could be a friend’s friend. Anything that is not on merit is nepotism.

“So, whether you sleep with someone, whether you are someone’s girlfriend, whether you are someone’s friend, whether you are somebody’s family and you get a job, is nepotism.

“Now, obviously if you actually have the time to go and read a dictionary or go online and understand the meaning of it or if you have read in your life, you will understand the meaning of nepotism, so to use it so frivolously... It could be applied to each and every person in the film industry or any industry.”

Failing to understand why the debate was blown out of proportion, she said: “My sister (producer-designer Rhea Kapoor) has a couple of interns that have come from recommendations from France. Any job that you get is through a recommendation, unless it’s like applicants applying for a job.

“So, I don’t understand how and why has it become such a big thing?”