Staying Alive

Shraddha Kapoor,daughter of bad man Shakti Kapoor,was one of the four debutants in the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Teen Patti,which released in February. Though the film did not do well,she cannot stop gushing about the experience. “My most difficult scene in the movie was doing a shot with dad. I did the most number of retakes during that scene as I forgot my lines each time I saw him,” she says with a blush.

Unlike Kapoor,who enjoys basking in the glow of being daddy’s girl,Mrunmayee Lagoo,25,daughter of actor Reema Lagoo,did not consciously follow in her mother’s footsteps. Mrunmayee worked in advertising firms Lintas and Rediffussion after graduating in mass media and was looking at a career in advertising,when an acting audition came her way. “I was offered a role in a Marathi film which I took up just for an experience. It had nothing to do with my mother being an actor,” says Lagoo,who made her Hindi film debut in March in the lacklustre film,Hello Zindagi as a rebellious youngster.

Lagoo has realised that filmmaking,instead of acting,might be her forte. After assisting Raj Kumar Hirani in Three Idiots and wrapping up work on Karan Johar’s Stepmom,she is planning to direct her own project soon. “When you are behind the camera,you need to be aware where the film is headed. An actor,on the other hand,is bothered only about his own role,” says Lagoo.

If Lagoo is busying herself with direction,producer Kumar Mangat’s 24-year-old Amita Pathak switched to production after her first film Haal-E-Dil failed to make the cut last year. Amita was involved in the production of the Ajav Devgn-starrer Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge and had also assisted Vishal Bhardwaj in Omkara. “I am open to all offers,” she adds. “My parents encourage me all the way. Though others expect me to produce,my parents have left the decision to me.” All the other star children echo similar sentiment about parents. “My mother never forced me to act,” reiterates Lagoo.

She adds that she hasn’t had any training in cinema. But Sinha swears by the right education. “If you don’t learn,you are finished even before you start,” he says. He enrolled with acting tutor Roshan Taneja,while Kapoor’s CV boasts a four-week workshop with Barry John.

Alankrita Srivastava,31,does not boast a famous family name,only famous friends. “My mother is a friend of director Prakash Jha and I was introduced to him at a party. I was able to develop a rapport with him and he asked me to assist him in Gangaajal,” she recalls. Alankrita assisted him in seven other films and is currently directing her first project,Turning 30,starring Purab Kohli and Gul Panag. Bollywood connections can help one get the first break. Making a breakthrough is quite another matter.