Recently, Aryan Khan presented the first preview of Bads of Bollywood for Netflix, a project he has written and directed, and produced under Red Chillies Entertainment. The moment has not sparked any debate: “Is this nepotism?” But there has always been an undercurrent, especially in Bollywood or cinema in general, because of the limelight attached. After all, it is Shah Rukh Khan, the superstar father, launching his son.

Yet if we pause and look beyond the glare of the spotlight, the picture becomes far more relatable than many would assume. What is often labelled as nepotism in cinema is, at its core, something universal: parents supporting their children’s first steps.

A farmer mortgaging his land for his child’s education, a government employee taking a loan to fund his son’s first business venture, a small trader setting up a shop for his daughter, a cricketer arranging the best coach for his child, aren’t these everyday acts of “launching” too? In every case, a parent is simply doing what they can to give their child a fair chance to succeed.

Different settings, same story, parents doing what they always do: believing in us, supporting us, and loving us in ways only they can.

Sometimes this support is material. Sometimes it is emotional. Sometimes it is simply the blessings and faith that give us the courage to take our first step. But at its core, it is not privilege; it is the universal language of parental love.

Critics may still use the word “nepotism.” But if we look closer, we might just see something far more ordinary, far more human: a parent standing behind their child, trying to give them a fair start in a world that is never truly fair.

In the end, whether in the fields, the markets, the playgrounds, or the film studios, the truth remains unchanged: parents will always do whatever they can to help their children dream, and dare, and begin.

From there, where they go is their path and hard work to determine.