Star kids of famous film personalities often find themselves in the eye of storm, more so with the ongoing nepotism debate. However, Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth, who is the daughter of cinema legend Rajinikanth, believes that a star kid has to face a lot more challenges than an outsider as people expect the former to be a “perfectionist” even before they enter into the movie business.
Aishwaryaa is a producer and a director, who has so far helmed two Tamil films and one documentary in her career spanning a decade. She made her feature film directorial debut with 3 in 2012, featuring her estranged husband, Dhanush. She went on to direct the 2015 crime comedy Vai Raja Vai and later helmed the documentary Cinema Veeran, which featured untold stories of stunt choreographers of Tamil cinema.
Aishwaryaa, who was speaking at the first edition of News18 India’s Amrit Ratna Samman event in New Delhi, said that she is aware of the privileges that come along with being a star kid, but it has not been all uphill for her.
“It’s a huge challenge being a star kid. People generally have this notion that star kids have it easy and they get everything, but I’d say it’s the opposite. It’s much of a challenge because we need to prove ourselves. We cannot make mistakes. People think we actually cannot make mistakes. It’s easier for newcomers to make mistakes and get away with it. People expect us to be perfectionist. So, I guess it’s much of a challenge to be a star kid if you want to be in the same industry. We have our blessings. I can’t just say it’s all uphill. We have so much of goodwill around and there are people who want us to achieve and be there and they look at us as the children of their own homes because they love our parents. So these are blessings that we should count and take up challenges in the right spirit and move on,” Aishwaryaa said.
Earlier this year, Aishwaryaa announced that she would make a debut in Hindi as a director with her upcoming film Oh Saathi Chal, which she described as an “extraordinary true love story.”
Talking about it, Aishwaryaa said, “It’s a very healthy transition that’s happening in Indian cinema. On the whole, it’s becoming Indian cinema rather than South or North. It’s a very healthy evolution. I’m hoping that it wouldn’t be just artistes from South to North, it will also be technicians from South to the North and vice and versa. It would be lovely to see that happen.”
When asked if she would ever direct her father in a movie, Aishwaryaa said, “I would rather not make a film with him. I just want to be his daughter because if we are going to be on sets together, there would be too many difference of opinions. I guess it’s nice to be at home and the arguments to be left at home rather than on the shoot (laughs).”
