Hansal Mehta thinks Kangana is right in calling out nepotism in the film industry but believes it cannot be stopped or removed entirely. Speaking to Indian Express, he said that the issue and the word have been blown out of proportion.
He said, “The entire nepotism statement was blown out of proportion. She (Kangana) put it in context in her latest interview. By saying this, and pointing out that our footsteps need to be carved in sands of time. One can learn from this. She is wanting people to grow beyond the nepotistic network. See, nepotism would never end. I will also be nepotistic. My son is a budding filmmaker, so when I have a chance, I will launch him.”
To Hansal Mehta, there is nothing wrong in favouring family, but one needs to also give opportunities for people outside the family network. And only then the industry will grow.
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This statement comes after Kangana said at a recent event that her statements on nepotism have to be seen as an observation, not as an accusation. She said that people should not be rejected because of their ability or inability to speak English. “The fact that today in the industry we have a lot more democratic environment is also because of people like us who have been working at it. I see newcomers easily say ‘I can’t talk in English I will only talk in Hindi.’ It’s because we have made it appear cool. We are going to make outsiders feel and appear cool. That is my prerogative as an individual. If I don’t do that then what is the purpose of my journey? This is a healthy talk. We should all work it out and not point fingers and make it sound like a fight, but to make the society more democratic for everyone.”
Hansal Mehta, who worked with Kangana on Simran, said that it’s stars like her, Rajkummar Rao and Manoj Bajpayee who inspire him. “I am older than her, but she inspires me,” he said.