Ahaan Shetty embraces nepotism label, chooses Dubai's Global Village over nightclubs

Dubai: Gulf News’ brand new video podcast Dine With The Stars with Manjusha Radhakrishnan returns for another banger following our inaugural emotionally charged debut with Malayalam actress and survivor Bhavana Menon.

In our second episode of DWTS, we break bread with Bollywood actor Ahaan Shetty, the son of seasoned actor Suniel Shetty, who is keenly aware of the privileges and insulation that come with being a star kid.

He has just tasted blockbuster success with star-studded war drama Border 2, and he admits, gamely, that nothing quite feels as good as a blockbuster.

Over a relaxed lunch at Asha's restaurant at the Wafi Mall in Dubai, Ahaan opened up on nepotism, his father’s legacy, the four-year gap between films, and the rumours that surrounded his stalled projects.

A look at the highlights from our leisurely catch-up that went beyond movies and being born to a famous dad!

“I am a nepo kid. It’s completely okay.”

Shetty does not shy away from the label that has followed him since his debut.

“That’s okay, even if you do. I think I’ve accepted it. And I mean, at the end of the day, I am a Nepo kid. Yes, it’s completely okay.”

Asked about growing up as the son of Bollywood star Suniel Shetty, he insists he never viewed his father as a celebrity figure.

“I’ve never looked at him as a famous dad… he’s been incredibly supportive and loving of me and my entire journey.”

A blockbuster after four years of silence

Following his 2021 debut Tadap, Shetty went nearly four years without a release, a stretch he describes as emotionally destabilising.

“I was super low on confidence coming off of that long break… so to have them support me through the whole process was unbelievable. And just to have a blockbuster like this, it kind of changes everything.”

Despite Border 2 crossing the Rs3 billion mark, Shetty is cautious about claiming stardom.

“I don’t want to say I’m a star yet… Border 2, I was a small part of Border 2. It wasn’t my film. I’d say this is Sunny Deol’s film.”

What the success offered, he says, was visibility rather than validation.

“I needed more eyeballs in terms of just, you know, what I can do, how I can perform.”

Carrying a legacy, without leaning on it

Shetty describes the pressure of working on a franchise so closely tied to his father’s generation as “nerve-wracking,” but says the advice he received before shooting was grounding.

“Don’t take that pressure. Just be honest with yourself… and be honest to your audience.”

On whether he uses his father’s influence to secure roles, he draws a line between support and intervention.

“If I asked him to make that call, he would make that call… but he’ll be like, be old enough. You’re mature enough, you handle these situations.”

The entourage controversy

One of the episode’s most pointed moments comes when Shetty addresses reports that blamed him for the collapse of a previous project due to entourage-related costs.

“I had a chef with me and I had a trainer with me… but the production wasn’t paying for those. Travel, stay, everything was taken care of by me.”

He says he chose not to publicly rebut the claims.

“I believe in silence. I believe your work speaks for you.”

And adds that some of the reporting crossed a line.

“If you really consider yourself a journalist, wouldn’t you check your facts? Just call me and I’ll speak to you.”

The emotional cost of waiting

Even with financial security, the prolonged gap between films took a toll.

“Definitely an emotional vacuum… kind of ego kicking in. Why am I here? Why am I in this situation?”

His support system, he says, was family and discipline.

“For me, going to the gym is more mental therapy than physical… just lifting heavy weights brings a lot of peace to me.”

Dubai detour: Global Village over glamour

During his brief break in the UAE, Shetty skipped nightclubs in favour of Global Village.

“That’s how me and my friends are… we’ll go to a random mandi spot on the road. I don’t really like going to fancy, posh places all the time.”

Looking ahead: quality, not quantity

With three films lined up — including a spy thriller and a horror project — Shetty says he is resisting the temptation to sign indiscriminately after success.

“I want to focus more on quality over quantity. I don’t want to do a film for the sake of doing the film.”

Now 30, he frames the lost years as preparation rather than failure.

“My 20s were for learning. Now my 30s are for action.”