Bollywood actress Sara Ali Khan has said her father, Saif Ali Khan, never used his influence in the film industry to secure roles for her, insisting that she has handled her career decisions independently.
Speaking to Filmfare about her eight-year journey in Hindi cinema, Sara reflected on the advantages and challenges of belonging to a prominent film family.
“I live with a single mother. I’ve not had a father going to offices, negotiating my contracts and begging people to take me in their films. When I had a problem with Kedarnath, I sorted it out myself. There was no one with me. It’s a double-edged sword. Because I’ve not had a godfather in the industry at all,” she said.
The actress explained that she was raised by her mother, Amrita Singh, and did not have a traditional industry support system guiding her professional decisions.
Sara Ali Khan calls nepotism debate a double-edged sword
Sara acknowledged that her family background gave her visibility and access to opportunities that many aspiring actors struggle to obtain. However, she argued that the constant scrutiny surrounding celebrity families can overshadow an actor’s individual work.
She said she was neither naive nor delusional about the advantages her lineage had provided, while maintaining that the negative perception of nepotism often diminishes the efforts of actors born into film families.
Sara also referred to fellow actors Janhvi Kapoor and Ananya Panday, arguing that they, like her, had no say in the families into which they were born.
While acknowledging that she and her peers received coveted debut opportunities, Sara questioned why they continued to face pressure to prove their worth years into their careers.
Actress says career must stand on its own
Now eight years into her career, Sara maintained that she should not have to repeatedly justify her place in the Hindi film industry.
She stressed that an initial advantage does not guarantee long-term success, which ultimately depends on an actor’s own decisions, work and accountability.
Sara was recently seen in director Akash A Kaushik’s spy comedy Udta Teer, which also features Ayushmann Khurrana, Rahul Bose, Ram Kapoor, Gulshan Grover and several other actors.
