Telugu actor Naga Chaitanya, the son of Nagarjuna Akkineni and grandson of Akkineni Nageswara Rao, recently opened up about the nepotism debate and revealed that he does not understand the controversy surrounding it. The 38-year-old actor also admitted that he does get opportunities on a 'platter' due to his privilege.
In a recent podcast on Raw Talks with VK, Naga Chaitanya said that the nepotism debate is 'black-and-white' to him. He added, "If your child wants to work in the same field, would you discourage them? It’s as simple as that, so I don’t understand the debate. Of course, I believe everyone should be treated equally, but it’s not my fault or my father’s fault I wanted to be an actor. He won’t discourage me just because it would be nepotism."
Chaitanya further shared that once someone is in the film industry, everyone gets equal treatment. He shared that if his film is released on a Friday and it is not good, but a newcomer’s film is, the audience will choose to watch the latter instead. Chaitanya admitted how the stars have fallen overnight.
"Coming from a film family, I had opportunities on a platter, no doubt. But once we’re on the playing field, we’re all equal," he concluded.
On the work front, Naga Chaitanya was seen recently in Thandel alongside Sai Pallavi in the lead. The film is inspired by real-life events that took place in the village of D Matchilesam in the Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Reportedly, Chaitanya charged between Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore, as per a report by Siasat. This marks a substantial hike from his previous remuneration of Rs 10 crore.