New Delhi:
Tanuj Virwani, son of yesteryear actress Rati Agnihotri, recently weighed in on the ongoing nepotism debate in the industry. In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Hardika Gupta, Tanuj, whose career has been marked by steady growth rather than a meteoric rise, shared his perspective on nepotism. When asked if being Rati Agnihotri's son has impacted his career in any way, he said, "Luckily, nepotism didn't impact my career because, firstly, I don't think I had a very big launch. It's not like I was launched by Yash Raj or Dharma Productions; everyone is aware of my own career trajectory. Secondly, my screen surname is Virwani, while my mom's screen surname is Agnihotri, so many people don't even make the connection that we are related, which worked out great for me. I like to be my own person; my failures should be mine, and my successes should be mine as well. That's very important to me."
The Inside Edge star also spoke about the natural inclination of families to support their own. "Nepotism exists, there's no doubt about that. It's prevalent in every industry, but it's more spoken about in ours because it's such a glamorous industry. Tell me, why wouldn't you want the best for your son, daughter, niece, or nephew? That's the way it is. You definitely get better opportunities at the onset of your career if you are related to someone who is either very powerful or very successful in their field," he said.