A Family Business

Acting dynasties- generations of families devoted to the art of acting, gaining power, money, and fame. As daunting as it may seem, this general trend is pretty common among many actor's and acting families today.

Like I've mentioned before, many actors and actresses become well known after starting in the industry at a young age. Related to this, some actors become famous not through their own abilities, but their families. The Kapoors, the Barrymores, the Fiennes'- the fact that so many in the family are successful isn't so much a coincidence as a case of knowing the right people. When one family member succeeds, they open doors for many future generations, and thereby create a sort of "acting dynasty."

While many Hollywood actors have famous family members that influenced their start, this is most common in Bollywood, India's popular film industry. Having seen many Bollywood films over the years (despite not being Indian and badly needing subtitles), I know first hand that many films feature the same faces over and over again- Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukerji, etc. Along with that, they all seem to be connected in some way or another, either their blood relatives, spouses, ex's... But most interestingly enough, it all trickles down from the two main Bollywood dynasties- the Bachchans and the Kapoors. Without getting too political, suffice it to say these two families hold a large amount of power in the Bollywood industry.

Is it fair for certain actors to, in a way, "piggyback" on their relative's success, or should they have to make a name for themselves without their family connections?

Source-

Sirs: "Bollywood's Hot-- and Getting Hotter"