The Showbiz Daughters

Many of them have ventured onto Bollywood Boulevard; many are waiting in the wings; and then, there are many who've steered clear of the arc lights

It's a demanding, even heartbreaking profession. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown of stardom. Which is why, despite the Bollywood tradition of children following in their family's footsteps, a quantifiable number of daughters of film dynasties have stayed out of the showbiz whirligig.
Count among them the drop-dead gorgeous Riddhima, daughter of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh Kapoor, who like Shweta Bachchan, opted to marry and settle down in New Delhi. Riddhima was barraged with acting offers a decade ago, but only assented to pose for endorsements with her mother for a jewellery brand. Bollywood's loss has been the Kapoor clan's gain: here's a young woman who's sorted and has absolutely no regrets about shunning the limelight.

Shatrughan Sinha with daughter Sonakshi(top left), Riddhima Kapoor (middle), Anil Kapoor with daughter Sonam (Top right)
Since Esha Deol wasn't making much headway with her career, her parents Hema Malini and Dharmendra piloted her towards an arranged marriage with Mumbai businessman Bharat Takhtani. It is being conjectured now that Esha may establish her own film production company.
And it's no secret that Anil Kapoor would have liked his daughter Sonam to avoid the movies, but she eventually won over the adamant father to let her follow her chosen path. Ditto Shatrughan Sinha, who was extremely wary of his daughter, Sonakshi, being comp-elled to wear cheesy costumes and get intimate with her heroes before the voyeuristic gaze of the camera. As it has turned out, both Sonam and Sonakshi have handled their careers successfully, albeit under the constant scrutiny of their parents.

Sridevi and her older daughter Jhanvi; Jaya Bachchan and grand daughter Navya Naveli; Amitabh Bachchan with daughter Shweta
Male children, on the other hand, are encouraged to join the movies. In fact, they're expected to follow the family metier. It's the daughters who are sought to be protected from the wicked, wicked ways of Bollywood. When Sana, daughter of Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab, had to deal with teething problems for her first film, they pulled her out of the studios permanently.
By contrast, her brother Suraj Pancholi, who was jailed for a while in connection with the suicide of actress Jiah Khan, has received unstinted support. And so on September 4, Suraj makes his debut in the Salman Khan-produced Hero, paired opposite Athiya, the daughter of Sunil and Mana Shetty. One more star daughter is born, although it could be giving sleepless nights to Sunil, who has always been fiercely protective about his family, keeping them away from the clicks of the paparazzi.
And news is that the media (and therefore public) curiosity has been mounting in a quartet of teenaged star daughters who are waiting in the wings. Will they or won't they? Reportedly, Sara Khan, daughter of Saif Ali Khan and his first begum Amrita Singh, could join the heroine bandwagon once she completes her studies at Columbia University, besides shedding her puppy fat.
Indeed, Saif has stated in an interview that Sara has vacillated between several career options but did message him that she would like be an actress. To that his take was, ?"Finish your studies first." Upscale producer-director Karan Johar could well be her mentor, strategising her career as he has done painstakingly for his Student Of The Year trio: Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra.
Sara, a dead ringer for her mother, has inherited the charisma of both her parents, although she is more than likely to weigh her options before rushing towards tinsel glory. After all, she has seen the pressures which accompany stardom in close-up.
According to trade trackers, it's a foregone conclusion that Jhanvi and Khushi Kapoor will venture into the movies - once they come of age of course, with the go-ahead of their parents Sridevi and Boney Kapoor. Sridevi, like most parents, has conveyed the impression that her daughters have the freedom to choose their destinies.
Reportedly, Shweta Bachchan Nanda's daughter Navya Naveli could also become a frontline heroine in the future. Question: will her grandpa Amitabh Bachchan allow her to tread into a profession where he has weathered extreme reversals of fame and fortune? Incidentally, Navya Naveli's photographs, including some with her grandma Jaya Bachchan, have been splashed on websites already; not exactly in consonance with the wishes of the Bachchans, who are sticklers for privacy.
That's the price of showbiz though. Roots in a film family entail media exposure; it cannot be deflected. So will the quartet - Sara, Jhanvi, Khushi and Navya Naveli - tread into the limelight some day?
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised at all. Needless to emphasise, they will need their elders and betters to become their unwavering support systems. 
Lady Luck
In spite of star sons getting more attention when they make their debuts, almost all of Bollywood seems to be dominated by star daughters today, barring the occasional self-made Deepika, Priyanka and Katrina. Popular star daughters who have made it big include sisters Karisma and Kareena Kapoor, Kajol, Shraddha Kapoor, Shruti Haasan, and Alia Bhatt. Others like Rani Mukerji and Tabu come from film families.