‘It’s an agneepath being a star’s son’

Bollywood actor Tusshar Kapoor on dealing with constant comparisons with his legendary father Jeetendra

Rashita Sahni

Being the son of a legendary star may open the door to the film industry, but Tusshar Kapoor says staying there and proving yourself comes with its own set of challenges. In a conversation with The Free Press Journal, the actor, who has often faced comparisons with his father Jeetendra, opened up about the pressure and expectations that come with being an accomplished star’s son. 

While he acknowledged that coming from a film family makes getting that first break easier, Tusshar stressed that everything after that is ultimately in an actor’s own hands.

When asked about the pressure and expectations that came with being Jeetendra’s son, Tusshar said, “When you are from a film family and a son of an accomplished star, then there is an expectation, especially within the film industry or within the trade, where no matter how much you do, the glass is always considered half empty rather than half full. So, you have to always surpass yourself. So initially, of course, I had a tough time, you know, trying to ignore the noise that comes with being a star’s son. It’s not a red carpet for sure. Of course, there’s a huge battalion of pull-downers who are waiting for you to fall.”

Constant scrutiny

He then spoke about how his experience of living independently helped him deal with the noise and constant scrutiny, the actor added, “But the fact that I’ve lived abroad, lived on my own, and found myself as an individual, living away from family, gave me the strength to really be able to block that noise out, no matter how overwhelming it got at certain points. I used to just block it out and just show up for work, show up for my classes. Yeah. I was training at that point. I would show up for work and just try to do my thing in my own way, in my track, and not focus on whatever is being said or what is being written. And then the film spoke for itself.”

Success not guaranteed

He also acknowledged the advantage of getting a first break while stressing that success thereafter is not guaranteed, Tusshar further said, “So yes, it’s an agneepath in a sense but one has to be grateful that, you know, getting your first film is easier when you are from a family that belongs to the film fraternity. You get your first break. But uss film ko complete karna, uss film ko logon ke saamne tak lana, aur film ka chalna, woh aapke haath mein nahin hai. So that’s the only advantage we have with all these disadvantages; that’s the only advantage we have: that you get a break. You are more accessible to people who want to launch star sons.”

Jeetendra’s advice

Later, talking about his father and legendary actor Jeetendra’s advice, Tusshar recalled that his father would tell him, “Don’t think too much about ye picture karunga, ye nahin karunga. Just keep walking. We don’t know what will work and what will not.” Tusshar said he realised the importance of his father’s advice later in life, especially after becoming more selective about the projects he took on.