In the film industry, you are as big as your last hit film. Abhishek Bachchan had confessed in an interview that if your film fails, the next offer is difficult to get; people stop taking your calls.
“We work in an industry where, if your last film doesn’t do well, you don’t get a job. It doesn’t matter whose son you are. If your films are not doing well, you won’t get a film financed or distributed. Every film is make or break,” Abhishek said. Talking of family background, nobody can be bigger than Amitabh Bachchan’s son. And yet, it’s a struggle for him.
In Tollywood, too, though the big daddies are a strong support behind their sons, the star rating depends on the success of their films. Akhil’s father, Nagarjuna, is being very cautious with his son’s second film as it can make or break the actor’s rating.
Producer Suresh Babu says a family name cannot save one’s career. “For a producer, it is pure business. No one is doing anyone a favour and so, it all depends on how good an actor is with his craft,” explains Suresh Babu, while adding, “A lot of stars are backed by their family name but that is not enough to keep them afloat.”
Director Raghavendra Rao’s son, Prakash is another example. Despite having a famous father, who has directed some of the biggest hit films, Prakash could not make it in the film industry.
Suresh says, “A family name definitely matters during the launch of an actor. It gets the attention of the media too, but what happens after that film solely depends on the talent of the actor”.
Waiting for that elusive hit
Ram Charan
Among his last four films, Yevadu was a decent success at the box office, but the rest were duds. Now, Charan is banking on his film Dhruva, the remake of the Tamil film Thani Oruvan. Despite being Chiranjeevi’s son, Charan is desperate for a hit, to be on par with Tollywood’s A-list actors.
Jr NTR
Part of the famous Nandamuri clan, Jr NTR started with a bang at the age of 20. His rating was on par with uncle Balakrishna, but it’s been five years since he last saw a hit, while his colleagues like Pawan Kalyan, Mahesh Babu, and Prabhas have raced ahead with their films joining the Rs 100 crore club.
Manchu Vishnu
The elder son of legendary actor Mohan Babu, made his debut with Vishnu (2003), but is still looking for stardom. Though Vishnu acted in more than 15 films, most of them were produced by his own production house.
