Shanaya Kapoor latest star kid to be launched into Bollywood by Karan Johar

The writing was on the wall, and on Instagram, with Shanaya Kapoor waiting in the wings for her very own Bollywood debut and it is finally happening. Filmmaker Karan Johar has signed her up with his talent agency and confirmed she will have her big debut into the world of showbiz in July.

Daughter to actor Sanjay Kapoor and jewellery designer Maheep Kapoor, Shanaya comes from a long lineage of stars in her family, including uncle Anil Kapoor, along with cousins Sonam, Janhvi and Arjun Kapoor.

Johar, who was instrumental in launching Sridevi’s daughter Janhvi through his company, Dharma Productions, is now moving on to give a platform to Shanaya through his Dharma Cornerstone Agency.

“Another beautiful addition to our growing @dcatalent family! Welcome to the #DCASquad, @shanayakapoor. Her enthusiasm, perseverance and diligence is so amazing to see. Join us in showering your love & blessings as she begins her first film with @DharmaMovies, this July!” Johar tweeted on March 22. “It’s going to be an unforgettable and exciting journey…”

Shanaya’s father Sanjay also took to his Instagram to share the news. “With her unabashed enthusiasm, resilience & sparkle - My daughter is all set to take over your screens soon. Give her your love & blessings as she is ready to start the journey of her FIRST FILM with @Dharmamovies this July. Watch out for the announcement of the film! #DCASquad.”

In January, Shanaya went public with her Instagram account, fueling speculation that she would be launched in the film industry very soon. Her first public post drew praise from her cousin and actress Sonam, cousin Janhvi, along with BFFs Ananya Panday, Suhana Khan and Navya Naveli Nanda. Panday was also launched by Johar in ‘Student of the Year 2’.

Shanaya’s Instagram posts also showed that she was in Dubai earlier in January on holiday. Images of her on the beach and at JBR are peppered on her timeline.

She followed up her posts with videos of her training to dance, where she was seen learning belly dancing, among other dance forms.

In recent months, her BFFs, including Khan and Nanda, have also gone public with their Instagram accounts. As her first post after making her profile public, Shanaya dropped photos from a photoshoot that drew praise from Khan, Panday and Nanda.

Shanaya’s Bollywood aspirations were revealed on the Netflix show ‘The Fabulous Lives of Hollywood Wives’ where her mother Maheep was seen talking about Shanaya being launched into films. The show, incidentally, has been produced by Johar as well, who also makes an appearance.

Aside from Shanaya, cousin Khushi is also waiting in the wings to be launched into Bollywood. The daughter of the late actress Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor is currently attending film school in New York. Her father has confirmed his second daughter, after Janhvi, will be launched into the film industry next year.

Meanwhile, Khan, who is Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan’s daughter, is also at film school and also could be launched into Bollywood next year.