Kay Kay Menon: We need to come out of star kids culture

Actor Kay Kay Menon believes the Hindi film industry can produce better cinema only when it grows out of the culture of preferring star kids over outsiders.

Time and again, many actors and directors from non-film background have spoken about Bollywood’s bias towards artists belonging to stars’ families and Kay Kay says this dynasty system needs to be uprooted from the industry.

“We have dynasty as a part of our culture. From politics to cinema, there is a dynasty culture, unlike sports, which has a perfect yardstick. Nobody’s son can become a star unless and until you perform in the field.”

“In cinema, everybody’s sons, daughters, nephews, nieces have the first right on films. That’s a part of our culture. We are yet to come out of this culture. The moment we do, we will have better cinema,” Menon told PTI in an interview.

The actor, known for his power packed performances in films like ‘Haider’, ‘Shahid’, ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Sarkar’, is also of the view that the Rs 100 crore club, sought after by every producer, is just a facade and nowhere a testament to quality cinema.

“It’s a marketing gimmick. It has been inculcated in the audience’s mind that ‘100 crore’ means something. It just means money and nothing else, it doesn’t mean good cinema. It doesn’t make any sense. I always say that if I find a 100 crore club, I’ll go and play tennis there.”

Menon thinks real success of a film lies in its recall value and referring to his own filmography, the 49-year-old actor said he is happy that he has given at least 10 memorable movies in his career so far.

“Among my 80-odd films, there are 13-14 (films) which are memorable. I think the percentage (of my good films) is 10, which is not bad,” he said.

“I know these films can be on the shelf even after I die, they have hot posterity. I have always believed films should be beyond the weekend. You can’t make cinema that way and if you are making, it is not cinema, it is some packaging.”

Bollywood may have been backing story-oriented films lately, but Menon says there is still a long way to go before lines between commercial and realistic cinema get blurred.

“The industry always threatens to do this but it never happens. I am quite sceptic in that sense. Even during the Naseeruddin Shah era we had the parallel cinema which we thought will take over. Nothing happened. It’s a good feeling of hope,” he said.

The actor will be next seen in period thriller film ‘San Pachhatar’. The Navneet Behal directed film revolves around a deal of the first mobile phone (prototype) being brought in India with (imposition of) Emergency in the background.

Inputs from PTI

Also Read: KAY KAY MENON’S TAKE ON CENSORSHIP MAKES A LOT OF SENSE

Amod Pandit

Quiet, resonant, and creative, he can be seen immersed in his own world, and puts in his heart and soul into the one passion that he has, Bollywood. His line for survival? Feel happy to be a part of it.