Decoding ramifications of Indians' obsession with celebrity kids
If you're an avid social media user, your feed must be teeming with the recent annual day at Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai. A hub for the crème-de-la-crème sections of society, it is school to Aaradhya Bachchan, AbRam Khan, and Taimur Ali Khan, who performed at the event. Now, the entire India is talking about them. But do these star kids deserve this scrutiny?
Over dissection: Celebrity kids analyzed to no end
While it's acceptable to critique the art of a celebrity kid once they make their debut, what's completely baffling is the overanalysis these kids go through at an age when they hardly understand the world. For instance, Aaradhya seems to be everyone's favorite at the moment and is being pressured with the task of carrying her family's artistic legacy forward. She is only 12!
Is pitting family members against each other right?
Did you come across the viral tweet claiming Amitabh Bachchan's talent skipped Abhishek Bachchan and went straight to Aaradhya, or the one calling Shah Rukh Khan's son AbRam a better performer than his sister Suhana Khan? While making such bewildering comparisons, people forget that not everything—and everyone—is up for public consumption. These are real, living, breathing humans they are viciously judging, not just "celebrities."
This nutsy obsession lays bare people's hypocrisy
On one hand, viewers complain repeatedly about the influx of nepotism in Hindi cinema, accentuating that "nepotism is smothering real talent." However, on the other, they are preoccupied with scalping more details about the lives of celebrity kids. In the age of optics, clicks and views are paramount. Considering the amount of coverage this annual day has received, why wouldn't actors launch their kids?
This fixation also gives birth to ugly 'jokes'
Social media can be an ugly, evil place, and celebrity kids often bear the brunt of it. Aaradhya, due to her mother Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's past (and abusive) relationship with Salman Khan, finds herself being sacrificed at the altar of memes quite often. And the latest ones are no different, comparing her looks to Khan, saying she mimics his gait. Unbelievable degradation of values!
Once (if) these kids enter Bollywood, pressure is on
While nepo kids do come from luxury and have cushions to fall back on, what's important to note is how viewers place expectations from the time they debut in the public eye. For instance, a few years ago, Suhana earned the spotlight for a college play, but "fans" who then rooted for her turned against her after her alleged dismal performance in The Archies.
People think kids equal content
Celebrities make a decision to be in this business, so curiosity about their lives is understandable, but everything worsens when their kids are brought into the discourse. Remember when Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli's daughter Vamika was crucified on X for her looks or how people wouldn't stop wondering why Aaradhya "doesn't change her hairstyle." Their private business shouldn't be our national news.
