‘I’m a product of nepotism’ : Ranbir says he had to work hard to develop his individualistic approach to make his mark

Terming himself a ‘product of nepotism’, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor on Thursday said he was always aware of the perks of being born into a film family but lineage never guarantees success.

Ranbir, part of the fourth generation of the illustrious Kapoor family, said he had to develop an individualistic approach and prove his talent independently to sustain in the industry.

“I’m a product of nepotism and I got it very easy in my life but I always had to work hard because I realised that I come from a family like this and if I don’t have an individualistic approach and if I don’t make a name for myself, I’ll not succeed in the film industry.

“You guys celebrate a lot of success of my family but there are a lot of failures also, and as much as you learn from the success, you learn from the failure also,” the 43-year-old actor said.

Ranbir, son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor, was speaking at a session, titled Tribute to legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt, during the Celebrate Cinema 2025 festival at filmmaker Subhash Ghai’s film institute Whistling Woods.

“What do I feel about being born in this family? For me, it was like any other normal family, I didn’t know any better,” said the actor, adding that he grew up watching music directors, singers and lyricist come to his house to create songs for grandfather Raj Kapoor’s movies.

“There used to be a lot of arguments, but not of the domestic kind. They would debate over a scene or the correct lyrics of a song,” he said.

Ranbir, known for movies such as Wake Up Sid, Rockstar, Barfi, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani and Animal, said he learnt pretty early in his life that filmmaking is a team effort.

“Filmmaking is not dictatorship, it’s a marriage of so many people and artists coming together, and believing in something, and believing in inspiring people,” the actor said, recalling the words of his great-grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor.

“What he said moved deeply — Kala desh ki seva mein. So whatever you can do, do it to inspire the next generation... If you can do that then there’s nothing greater than that,” the actor added.

Lessons from the stalwarts

The timeless legacy of legendary filmmakers Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor has been a profound source of inspiration for director Subhash Ghai.

At the event Ghai fondly reflected on how he educated himself through the cinema of Indian’s most iconic storytellers, such as Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Mehboob Khan and Bimal Roy.“Any person can become a great artiste if he studies from his elders. Guru Dutt sahab and Raj Kapoor sahab have been my ideal filmmakers since my school and college days. Mehboob Khan sahab and Vimal Roy were also there. I used to watch their films with great interest. And when I used to watch their films, I used to learn from them. I educated myself through their cinema,” he said.