The family tree seems to be taking deep roots in Mollywood with children of filmmakers and actors increasingly following in the footsteps of their renowned parents.
A rough estimate by Tinsel Town revealed that children of more than three dozen actors and filmmakers have chosen their parents’ profession in just over a decade.
The list features some well known names who have grown out of the shadows of their illustrious parents; Prithviraj and Indrajith (sons of late actor Sukumaran), Fahadh Fazil (son of senior director Fazil), Dulquer Salman (son of actor Mammootty), and Vineeth Sreenivasan (son of actor-director Sreenivasan) to name a few.
The latest entrants to this elite club of ‘hereditary actors’ are Fazil’s younger son Farhaan Fazil, Ahaana Krishna, daughter of actor Krishnakumar, and Keerthi Suresh, daughter of producer G. Sureshkumar and actor Menaka.
Youngsters who have donned the director’s mantle on being inspired by their parents are Jean Paul Lal (son of actor-director Lal), Siddharth Bharathan (son of late legendary filmmaker Bharathan), and Lijo Jose Pellissery (son of late actor Jose Pellissery).
Sons of noted filmmakers such as Kamal and Sathyan Anthikad are gearing up to take a leap to the silver screen. Family connections have definitely made the entry in to films easy for these youngsters compared to those working their way up from outside the film circles.
Getting access to lead actors or major production houses is a cake walk for them compared to the never-ending wait for the less fortunate but not necessarily less talented. They can also cash in on the fame of their parents till they make a mark on their own. That being the case, family connections never guarantee box-office success. To their credit, many of these youngsters, initially piggybacking on their acclaimed last names, have established their credentials with solid performances, be it in acting or directing while setting the cash registers ringing. The ones who failed initially are working hard to overcome those setbacks. Kalidas, actor Jayaram’s son, played a full length role as a child actor in the Sibi Malayil-directed film Ente Veedu Appoontteyum more than a decade back.
That impressive performance did win him some very rave reviews then. But that pales in comparison to the response a few minutes-long appearance in an award ceremony has evoked.
His performance mimicking the reigning stars of Kollywood including Vijay, Surya, and Ajith has become a rage in the virtual world fuelling rumours about his return to the big screen, this time as a teen hero.
Even as the social media spun a story of hit-maker Shankar about to direct the youngster on his return, websites ‘corrected’ it saying that it was not Shankar but Gowtham Menon. What more, the sites even claimed that many reputed filmmakers have evinced interest in Kalidas. Obviously, the names of those interested are missing.
