Janhvi Kapoor's Debut: Can Media Stop Obsessing Over Her Now?

Be it on social media or news, Janhvi Kapoor is everywhere masquerading as gossip pieces, trivia, news and promotional gimmick. There is no running away from this Kapoor scion it seems, no matter which way you look. The over-exposure this star kid has received is alarming. It could just set up a dangerous precedent, where a person is in the news more for being privileged than their achievements.

Stop shoving star kids at us

I have nothing against Janhvi Kapoor or the hundreds of star kids who will follow in her footsteps. They are privileged, yes, but judging by the fate of those who have preceded them, it is a hard and winding road for them to even sustain in the industry which is governed by box office numbers.

It is the unnecessary media coverage they receive, even before they can debut on the silver screen, which is befuddling.

SOME TAKEAWAYS

• Late actor Sridevi’s daughter Janhvi Kapoor is making her debut today in the film Dhadak, co-starring Ishaan Katter.
• Kapoor is already a media darling, and newspapers cover her with an obsession.
• Star kids enjoy a huge fan following of their own, solely based on their Bollywood lineage.
• Is the attention and coverage given to them justified?

It is one thing to make public appearances and do interviews before your debut, and then it is another thing to be in the news months ahead of your big debut. As Dhadak’s closed in, the dose of news and gossip about Kapoor skyrocketed and became equally nonsensical. Just sample a few headlines from reputed news outlets in recent months. Janhvi Kapoor’s style is on point every time she steps out to promote Dhadak. Revealed: Janhvi Kapoor’s workout, diet plan and fitness secrets. Salman had caught Janhvi dancing on Wanted sets, here's what happened next. Janhvi Kapoor was smitten by Ranbir Kapoor, had once followed him around at a party?

There has been a sharp increase in the coverage of lives and times of star kids. Especially those who are all grown up and will be making their debut in Bollywood soon. It has become a matter of national interest it seems, to know the wheres and hows of these kids, even when they have got no personal achievements except for their popular lineage to boast of.

Star kids today have a massive fan following on Instagram and Twitter. They have fan clubs which thrive on sharing their pictures and gossip.

All this while we crib about celebrity entitlement and nepotism! When people are already livening the careers of star kids by making them popular, even without any work under their belt, what chances of creating breakthroughs do outsiders have in Bollywood? Naturally, the producers will opt for the already popular star kids, over someone whom they have to promote in the market from scratch. So either we stop complaining about nepotism in Bollywood altogether or stop creating mass hysteria every time a Khan or a Kapoor scion makes a trip to a pizzeria.

It is time media and commoners stopped making celebrities out of young star kids. At least let them have some work credited to themselves. The obsession with star kids is giving rise to unreasonable and undeserved stardom. Which will come crashing down when the initial fascination wears offs. No one profits from this. Not even these young people who will have to grapple with massive fluctuation in public attention and neglect at a very young age.

As Janhvi Kapoor’s debut film Dhadak hits the theatres today, we wish her good luck and sincerely hope that the media will now stop gushing over her.

Picture Credit : YouTube

Also Read : Dhadak Trailer Lacks The Rawness Of Marathi Original Sairat

Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section. The views expressed are the author’s own.