Actor Raghav Juyal is enjoying a purple patch in his acting career. After garnering acclaim for his villain turn in Kill a couple of years ago, he is now soaking in praise for his act in Aryan Khan‘s The Ba***ds of Bollywood. As his character and performance get love from fans, a statement from Raghav has earned him the ire of the internet.
Raghav Juyal on nepotism
The actor appeared on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast recently, where the host asked him if he is ok with having a ‘nepo kid’ in his life, a reference to The Ba***ds of Bollywood director Aryan Khan, son of superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Raghav responded, saying that he definitely wants one. He then gave a real-world example, “There is a grocery shop in Dalanwala. A father was sitting there, and now his son sits there. No one is complaining about the nepo kid there. He got the shop easily. He is handling the money, too. It happens everywhere a little.”
Raghav then shared some advice for people who object to nepotism. “I don’t understand why people complain. I don’t think you should complain. Just work hard on yourself. Get up, work hard, and become a somebody that you can have your own little nepo kids,” the actor added.
The internet reacts
The debate around nepotism in Bollywood and star kids getting more opportunites is an old one. Reddit was quick to criticise Raghav for his statement here, pointing out that generational wealth and nepotism are very different concepts. “I understand his compulsions. But this advice of working hard and finding your way – the thing is your hard work will only be rewarded when the opportunities are available to you. If the opportunities are closed to you because you are an outsider, you can be extremely talented and hard-working and you will not get anywhere,” wrote one Redditor.
Another comment echoed, “Such a bad argument. You know that’s why I like Kangana, yes, she is crazy and has her flaws, but she is not spineless and calls a spade, a spade.”
Others argued that he is defending nepotism since he got a chance with an Aryan Khan show. “Bro speaks likes this because he is getting advantage from it. if he did not had opportunities he would not talk like this. its completely ok to call out unfair advantage . just because you are benefiting by close proximity to nepotism does not mean every body should accept “bad nepo actors”. this is what irks me about successful outsiders, they are just try to justify nepotism,” complained another.
Many others, however, defended Raghav for his stance. “He too knows it, but he has to sustain in the industry,” wrote one. Another added, “I am not a fan of Raghav or have never seen any of his acts…but what you are all expecting from him…he has to sustain in this controlled industry and all his hard work will go into the water if he gives any controversial statement, so completely understandable…he can’t do anything about it.”
About Raghav Juyal’s career
Raghav Juyal began his career as a dancer as a contestant on Dance India Dance season 3, before becoming a host on TV reality shows. He made his acting debut with Sonali Cable in 2014, but found his first major break in Salman Khan’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, followed by negative roles in Kill and Yudhra. His performance as Parvaiz in The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which released on Netflix last month, has earned him new fans.
