Rajkummar Rao responds to viral interview on nepotism with Sonam Kapoor: ‘It was edited in such a way…’

Rajkummar Rao has said that Sonam Kapoor is a genuine person who is nice, and is always there for everyone. The actor was responding to the online criticism that she has faced for a video interview of them together and it shows her talking about the struggles of being a star kid. (Also read| Bheed review: A lockdown tale that hits you hard)

Rajkummar and Sonam worked together in the film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. During a promotional interview for the film, Sonam talked about the merits and demerits of being an actor coming from an industry family.

Asked about the viral clip, Rajkummar told News18 it happened a long time back, and he is not who would to sit and think about it. “That video is edited in a way that it shows my reactions to other things. This had happened long back. I’m not someone to sit and think about it. It was in the moment. Sonam is one of the most kind-hearted girls I’ve met here. She’s so genuine. She’s always been there not just for me but for everyone too. She was putting her point across and I was putting mine.” He also said that Sonam is a dear friend, and he even visited her place recently to meet her son Vayu. Nothing has changed between them, he claimed.

The viral video was from a Film Companion video. The video started with Rajkummar asking Sonam Kapoor if she believed that star kids have an upper hand in the industry. She replied saying that star kids may have protection but do not have much of an upper hand, except having grown up around people from the industry. However, she also added, “The downside to that is that a lot of them do not take you seriously because they think you are a baccha (kid). Someone’s an uncle or something, so there is that professional element that just goes away (for star kids). Also, there is not much that grows under a banyan tree. If you are a son or daughter of someone who has been ridiculously successful, there is always going to be comparisons. To find your own path and identity is difficult.”

She also said that it is not just Bollywood or India, but even Hollywood has similar scenario – the biggest stars from Robert Downey Jr to Jennifer Aniston, is a star kid. During the interview, Sonam also said it took her five years to get her first film, adding that she really wanted to assist Sanjay Leela Bhansali at the age of 17, but her father Anil Kapoor insisted she should work with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Sonam claimed that Anil told her Vidhu is his friend, but he did not know Sanjay well. Sonam eventually made her acting debut with Sanjay’s Saawariya in 2007.