There was a time when the children of Bollywood actors had to wait for a flashy Hindi film to launch them into the public space. But social media has changed the script.
These privileged children of the Indian film industry have learnt the art of chronicling their posh existence and giving voyeuristic pleasure to millions. They might not have movies to boast of yet, but taking selfies, lounging by the beach in exotic destinations and dancing on a yacht make their social media accounts a must-follow. Gulf News tabloid! rounds up the Instagram stars who are giving their famous parents a run for their money.
Star: Aaliaf (@aaliaf; 245k followers)
‘You get what you work for, not what you wish for’ is one of her recent posts.
Well, actress Pooja Bedi’s daughter, Aalia Ebrahim, has clearly applied that philosophy to her Instagram posts. Her copious Instagram feeds, 850 posts so far, which is updated with clockwork regularity is sassy, party-fuelled and wild. Her account is dominated by her chronicles as a film student in New York City — she’s doing a year-long course at the New York Film Academy. It’s littered with decadent bashes, impulsive hair-colour choices and exotic beach holidays. Wonder when she manages to catch up on her studies with all those late nights. Her posts (‘Bad choices make good stories’ and ‘The way to my heart is French onion soup’) shows us a slice of her quirky personality. But my favourites are her posts about teaching her mother, Bedi, to tag on Instagram. Also check out the mother-daughter photoshoots for glossies.
Star: Jhanvi Kapoor (@jhanvikapoor; 40.3k followers)
Going through Sri Devi’s elder daughter’s account gives you this strange feeling that her posts are designed to sculpt a pristine image – that of a girl who’s on the cusp of being a Bollywood star. Her posts are squeaky clean, almost vanilla, when compared to her social media peers. Numerous selfies, pictures of her at intimate dinners with her actress mother and producer dad, Boney Kapoor, and a fan moment with Chris Martin from the band Coldplay are standouts. There’re no alcohol-fuelled parties or wild times documented here.
Star: Aaliya Kashyap (@aaliyahk9, 85k followers)
Aaliya Kashyap’s Instagram account offers us a window not just into her fabulous life but also her fashion choices. The daughter of director Anurag Kashyap likes to keep it casual and chic in shorts, cut-off jeans and T-shirts. There’s even a post of her endorsing a watch brand and luring her fans to get a 15 per cent discount using a particular code. Who said you need to be a certified star to sell things these days? But what makes you smile are the random pics with her father, the maverick Bollywood director. A pic of him tying her shoelaces is just cute. Period.
Star: Ahaan Pandayy (@ahaanpandayy; 84.3k followers)
He’s got a cheesy sense of humour and the nephew of Chunky Pandey isn’t afraid to show it. A video of him serenading his cat, shirtless selfies and YouTube clips are hilarious. It’s always good to see a rising social media star who doesn’t take himself too seriously. My favourite is him dubsmash the song Mujse Shaadi Karoge in true Bollywood star style. Plus, he bears an uncanny resemblance to Aryan Khan. That’s freaky.
Star: Paloma Dhillon (@palomathakeriadhillon; 12.4k followers)
The 21-year-old daughter of Poonam Dhillon bears a striking resemblance to her actress mother. But what kept us hooked are her drool-worthy holiday pictures, sunning herself on the beaches of Maldives and her embracing yoga in a big way. She says don’t cry over boys, do squats and make the boys cry. We couldn’t agree more.
Star: Krishna Shroff (@kishushroff; 195k followers)
With a whopping 195k followers, Tiger Shroff’s sister isn’t afraid to wear her personality and sensuality on her social media account.
But there’s more to her than her topless photos and her pictures with her Brazilian boyfriend Spencer Johnson on her Instagram feeds. Her travel pics reflect her free-spirited, bohemian lifestyle.
In case you are wondering about why she chose to go topless: “It was just a photo shoot that my best friend and I did for fun in my bedroom with nobody to share the experience with, except ourselves. My friend is a photographer who is building her portfolio to further her career. The two of us like to have fun with the camera and just shoot the mood of the moment. And since I like to put up aesthetic pictures for my private Instagram page, it’s a win-win situation for both my photographer friend and me. As simple as that,” said Shroff in an interview with an English Indian daily, DNA. Her father, Jackie Shroff, prefers not to speak about his children’s social media presence.
Star: Aryan Khan (@___aryan___; 109k followers)
He is one of the top contenders for the maximum number of followers on Instagram. With 107k followers at the time of writing, the son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan with a verified Instagram account proves he has inherited his father’s wit. His profile reads: ‘Aryan Khan: Lets all just pretend that this is a really clever bio’. There’s just a meagre eight pictures and one video posted, but that hasn’t stopped him from breaking into the social media stratosphere with aplomb.
Star: Ebrahim Khan (@iakpataudi; 64.4k followers)
An Instagram handle can reveal a lot about a person’s tastes. If that’s true, then Saif Ali Khan’s son, Ebrahim, is loving Wiz Khalifa’s hit Remember You and cracks up on Rajpal Yadav’s comic antics in films. His bio reads two lines from that song: ‘Popping champagne cause we made it, back in the phantom we faded’. Like Aryan Khan, he too doesn’t post prolifically, but has a modest 64.4k followers at the time of writing.
Star: Navya Nanda Naveli (@navya__nanda; 173k followers)
It’s a private account but that hasn’t stopped her from amassing 173k followers. Every photograph of hers has the potential to become news stories and gossip-filled salacious pieces. And God forbid if she’s in a bikini in a beach. That one pic could unleash a storm of admiring remarks and lewd comments.
But haters are not stopping Naveli from living her life. She’s as happy, restless and reckless as any teenager. While Naveli isn’t bothered about the snide remarks that her posts generate or the body shaming that she’s subjected to, her writer mother, Shweta Nanda, recently made an impassioned plea in an article to stop heckling her daughter. Several websites take her daughter’s pictures and post distasteful captions with it.
“She is a teenager, and as most young teens are wont to do, she likes to dress up, hang out with her friends, pose for pictures and yes, go out to parties (she has a deadline and is always home well before it is over). If she finds herself on a beach, she will wear beach-appropriate attire — namely, a swimsuit — as would any young girl anywhere. If there is music, she will dance much like her peers would. She will pout, she will preen, she will hang out with boys — the last time I checked, absolutely normal teenage behaviour!” wrote Bachchan, in an article published in DNA.
Her thoughts ring true for every star kids and their Instagram accounts.
