4 months ago
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Aaradhya Bachchan’s performance at her school’s annual day function has gone viral, but the comments on social media show how low we’ve sunk — Indians don’t seem to have a problem targeting a child.
Commentators made fun of the star kid who appeared without her trademark bangs. So many cheered, claiming that they could finally see Aaradhya’s forehead. All the chatter sidelined her talent and instead focused on her hair.
— Chesta Gupta (@simp_lyliving) December 16, 2023
Guys now we can sleep peacefully… We get to see Aishwarya rai daughter aradhya 's forehead. pic.twitter.com/N99EfIPF5s
— 𝕽𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖊𝖓 (@WohiRameenHun) December 17, 2023
Others made fun of Aishwarya recording her daughter’s performance.
The annual function at Dhirubhai Ambani International School saw many of Bollywood’s elite children perform on stage while their proud parents and grandparents—Shah Rukh Khan, the Bachchans — cheered them on. While Indians are obsessed with tales of celebrity kids, it gives us no right to mock them.
In a couple of years, Aaradhya may join the ranks of Bollywood’s nepo kids—many have relied on ‘blue blood’ to launch their careers. Zoya Akhatar’s latest Netflix movie The Archies is the most recent example. But for now, Aaradhya is just a child performing at a school function—along with other star kids.
Dealing with the stress
Celebrity children in India are increasingly being bullied on social media. Tasteless memes are passed off as humour. It is as if star children need to be attacked at the drop of a hat.
Why aradhya forehead is always covered with hair
Aishwarya ko darr hai ki koi uska future na predict kar le pic.twitter.com/VUWQyvR1fu
— Anamika A. 🇮🇳 (@Delhiwalididi) December 16, 2023
The most infamous example is probably that of Taimur Ali Khan, the elder son of actors Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. It started with people losing their heads over his name and what they saw as a reference to the Turkish-Mongol conqueror Timur. It got so bad that Saif even considered changing Taimur’s name; Kareena eventually held her ground.
Taimur has also been the target of paparazzi, so much so that the young child has often said no, firmly, to being photographed.
At the recent school function, clips of Shah Rukh Khan’s youngest child, AbRam, who also performed on the annual day, went viral. Many joked that he performed better than Agastya Nanda in his debut film The Archies. Some even said both Aaradhya and AbRam performed better than Agastya.
But praising one does not have to be at the expense of the other. Critique of Agastya’s performance can be independent of the adulation received by AbRam and Aaradhya. Yet, they have all been caught in the vicious trap of internet opinion-sharing.
While nepotism needs to be called out, it does not mean bullying a star kid should become the default. They, too, have to deal with constantly getting ‘papped’ and selfie-hunters all around.
Aaradhya’s forehead or Taimur’s daily routine, nothing should be targeted simply because they are star kids. The key word here is ‘kid’, and ultimately, bullying impacts everyone, irrespective of one’s wealth or social capital.
