Actor Saif Ali Khan, whose notorious ‘eugenics’ argument stirred up an argument, had defended producers who solid star children of their movies. In a 2018 interview, he mentioned that his feedback have been misconstrued by most and clarified that he was speaking a couple of ‘genetic bet’.
Talking to NDTV, Saif had mentioned that the controversy might go on ‘forever’ and defined what he meant in his open letter. “Most people don’t understand what I kind of said. I’ll say it again. I’m saying that film producers who take a bet on star children are making some sort of bet that this kid will know what his dad knew. When you think of Amitabh Bachchan’s son or Dharmendra’s son, you’re thinking maybe history will repeat itself. So they are making a genetic bet. That’s what I am thinking, rather than just making a bet on just talent.”
Saif mentioned that whereas the genes are typically handed on, typically, the kid doesn’t have the abilities of the mother or father. “They are assuming the son will have the talent. And sometimes, genes pass on and sometimes, they don’t. Tiger Pataudi’s father was an amazing cricketer, Tiger Pataudi was a better cricketer. Genetic brilliance. Then I came along and I couldn’t play cricket like that, so I don’t know how to explain these things,” he continued.
After being within the eye of a storm over his ‘nepotism rocks’ joke at IIFA 2017, Saif had penned an open letter for DNA arguing that eugenics or being ‘well born’ play a job within the nepotism debate. He claimed that nepotism can not work within the movie business, which is a ‘democracy’ and the fairest place to work. “So yes, maybe I got a chance because of my mother (veteran actor Sharmila Tagore), but that is more genetics than nepotism. It’s a genetic investment that the producer was making,” he had written.
