Poonam Dhillon on nepotism and her daughter Paloma making her debut with Dono: ‘She got this role on her own merit’

Poonam Dhillon reveals she didn't call in any favours for her daughter Paloma Thakeria, who is making her debut with Rajshri Productions' Dono.

Poonam Dhillon's daughter Paloma is making her acting debut with Rajshri Productions' Dono. (Pic: Poonam/instagram)

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Poonam Dhillon is currently brimming with excitement as her daughter, Paloma Thakeria, will make her silver screen debut with Rajshri Productions’ upcoming film Dono. This movie also serves as the debut for Sunny Deol’s younger son, Rajvir Deol. During an interview with Rajshri Unplugged, Poonam shed light on her relationship with Sunny, with whom she had previously collaborated in films like Sohni Mahiwal (1984), Saveray Wali Gaadia (1986), and Samundar (1986). She also fondly remembered late actor Rishi Kapoor, her co-star in several movies, and shared her perspective on the nepotism debate.

Speaking about her bond with Sunny, Poonam mentioned their similar introverted natures. She shared an intriguing anecdote from their time working together, saying, “Sunny was very fond of music. At that time, we didn’t have DVDs, we had tapes, so I used to ask him to make me mix tapes because he had such good music.”

Poonam Dhillon, who had shared screen space with Rishi Kapoor in various films like Yeh Vaada Raha (1982), Aamiri Garibi (1990), and more, fondly remembered the late actor. She said, “Rishi told me, ‘You are younger than me, I didn’t know.’ But he looked so young himself. I was a big fan, he was very natural. There are very few charming actors like him. His son has inherited his charm on screen. Ranbir Kapoor is one of the most charming actors.”

Also read | Sunny Deol, Poonam Dhillon reflect on children Rajveer and Paloma making their debut: ‘Promotions, social media daunting for newcomers’

Discussing her daughter’s debut with Rajshri Productions and addressing the nepotism debate, Poonam shared, “I am so happy that my daughter is making her debut with the Rajshri banner. But I have never worked with them, I don’t know Sooraj Barjatya (director of Rajshri productions) personally. So, there is no question of me calling him for my daughter’s debut. They auditioned her multiple times before selecting her. They were auditioning lots of newcomers. She got to know that she was selected after six-seven months of the audition.”

She added, “It feels sad that those who do online trolling don’t know that these kids are putting in equal effort. You cannot take that away from them. She got this role on her own merit. Today, it is not possible for anybody to excel in a field without talent. Which producer will spend Rs 30-40 crore on your kid if he/she doesn’t have the talent ? So this is not a good argument.”

Dono also marks the directorial debut of Avnish Barjatya, the son of Sooraj Barjatya. The film is scheduled for release on October 5.

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