All of this ties into privilege, which is very apparent throughout. Moreover, given that these young children want to enter the industry, it is unexpected that they feel no pressure whatsoever to learn the language that the movies are narrated in.
While languages are hard to grasp, it came off as them making it a status thing. Many of the women also revealed that their children did not speak Hindi. Many people mocked the accents of the families on the show, and while mocking an accent is the lowest of lowest in my books, I did wonder if they forced the emphasis on certain syllables. Seema keeps speaking of her obsession with Kim Kardashian, and Janhvi mocks the way Kylie acts in that birthday video. The American reality show is a common theme. While Bollywood has made its mark in the world and gained international notoriety, why did the families on these shows focus on their obsession with the Western world? In one instance, Anaya says “My parents cursed so much I thought my name was fuck.” This happens to be something Khloe Kardashian said, many moons ago, on Keeping up with the Kardashians. Some moments felt, to say the least, disingenuous. Many work from a young age however, their jobs may not be as well paid. They are definitely aided by coming from a lineage of film stars. While Shanaya’s dad may not have been the most famous from the Kapoor Clan, having the name Kapoor is enough for them. While the children cannot be blamed for using the tools at their disposition, it makes one wonder why these children do not feel compelled to join acting school, and instead they just know they will have an opportunity.Īlso, Maheep she did not have to dismiss other children while praising her children for working. One example of this is when Maheep tells Shanaya and Janhvi that they are so impressive because they are no longer living under their parent’s shadow. Let’s just get this straight: while Janhvi has certainly made her debut in Bollywood, it helps that she is the daughter of the late Sridevi Kapoor. Maheep says that other girls and boys their age are not earning, which is entirely false. I feel that the emphasis placed on how their children are “making their debut” into this world and how they have their share of struggles is to take the onus off of the fact that the names that have made it in Bollywood recently are from the same families.
I must admit, part of me truly believes that this show was a ruse to dismantle the notion of nepotism within Bollywood. I thought that they all had careers? Why is it that women, in today’s day and age, still belittle their own accomplishments? Has misogyny seeped so deep that even Bollywood stars cannot avoid their shackles? This is to the extent that Maheep tells the ladies “We were all fools, we were chasing our husbands in our 20s and my daughter is focused on becoming accomplished.” This is such an odd statement, as it came off implying that being married was a job to them. They strongly build their identities around being wives and how they balance being the wives of Bollywood actors and being moms. While I would never describe someone solely as another person’s wife, this is how the women introduced themselves. She has recently become a jewelry designer. Neelam Kothari Soni is the wife of Samir Soni and was a star in the 80s. They have two children and are trying to navigate their unique relationship. Bhavana has recently launched a clothing line. Their eldest, Anaya Panday, has recently entered the Bollywood Industry. She is also a jewelry designer!īhavana Pandey is the wife of Chunky Pandey and they have two children.
Maheep Kapoor is the wife of Sanjay Kapoor and they have two children who both want to enter the movie industry one day. All the women allow a glimpse of their private life and, from what I understand, attempt to be relatable. The show follows the lives of four women who have married into Bollywood or acted in the Industry. Part of me was curious about who these people were and what their lives were “truly” like. Netflix recently released The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives and I could not resist binge watching. However, assumptions are a tricky game and Bollywood is filled with curveballs. One would assume that an industry that has faced numerous scandals and would try to address those before creating new ones. Bollywood has been under fire for rampant nepotism and obsession with fairness lately.