"They are the backbone of this film."
Bollywood debuts – if done right – can be the golden ticket for a fascinating acting career in the film industry.
In an era where nepotism is producing galvanised debates, it’s easy to devalue the merit that star kids bring to the screen.
By definition, star kids are those actors who are the children of an established celebrity or those who are closely related to them.
Thanks to their lineage, they establish connections that grant them accessibility to their first break.
Sometimes, these newcomers are even directed in their first film by their parents.
They can arrive with a bang, impressing viewers with their acting talent and onscreen persona.
DESIblitz delves into the 12 best Bollywood debuts of star kids.
Neel Kamal (1947)
Director: Kidar Nath Sharma
Stars: Begum Para, Madhubala, Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor is regarded as the ‘Showman of Indian Cinema’.
He is a legendary actor, producer, and director who has been a part of many enduring classics.
Not many know that Raj Sahab was perhaps the first star child seen in Bollywood.
He was the eldest son of the iconic actor Prithviraj Kapoor, who also pioneered theatre in India.
Raj Sahab made his acting debut in Kidar Nath Sharma’s Neel Kamal.
Also debuting with him in the film was the luminous yesteryear actress Madhubala.
A big success at the box office, Neel Kamal showed traces of the talented actor Raj Sahab would become.
What happened during the next 40 years was a cinematic journey that has gone down in history.
Bobby (1973)
Director: Raj Kapoor
Stars: Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Prem Nath, Pran
Continuing with the famous Kapoor family, we come to Raj Kapoor’s second son.
Rishi Kapoor made his first big screen outing with Mera Naam Joker (1970), but it was Bobby with which he made his debut as a leading man.
Rishi plays Raj ‘Raja’ Nath who is in love with the beautiful Bobby Braganza (Dimple Kapadia).
The actor narrates an interesting anecdote involving the picturisation of ‘Main Shayar Toh Nahin’:
“I was shooting for Bobby. My father was the director. I was very excited to sing my first song.”
“When my father came on the sets, I asked him, ‘Where is the choreographer? I need to be taught how to do this’.”
Rishi goes on to state that Raj Sahab refused a choreographer as he wanted his son to carve his style.
The originality that Rishi displays in Bobby is what allowed the film to become one of the best Bollywood debuts ever.
Rocky (1981)
Director: Sunil Dutt
Stars: Tina Munim, Sanjay Dutt, Reena Roy, Shakti Kapoor
The veteran actor Sunil Dutt launched his son Sanjay Dutt in this film.
In Rocky, a fresh-faced Sanjay plays the lovable Rakesh/Rocky D’Souza.
He grows up without knowing his biological mother and he falls in love with the gorgeous Renuka Seth (Tina Munim).
Rocky also has a winner of a soundtrack by RD Burman.
Songs including ‘Doston Ko Salaam,’ ‘Aa Dekhen Zara’, and ‘Kya Yahi Pyaar Hai’ are evergreen chartbusters.
In 2018, Sanjay reminisced about the film on social media.
He wrote: “A film which gave me a real sense of being an actor is Rocky.
“Today marks 37 years of it and when I look back, my heart fills with gratitude for all the love and appreciation I have received over the years.”
Love Story (1981)
Director: Rahul Rawail
Stars: Rajendra Kumar, Kumar Gaurav, Vijayta Pandit, Vidya Sinha
Rajendra Kumar is known as ‘Jubilee Kumar’, for consistently having films that ran for over 25 weeks in cinemas.
Naturally, there was a lot of interest when the beloved actor’s son Kumar Gaurav made his debut in Love Story.
Rajendra Sahab produces as well as stars in Love Story as Vijay Mehra, the onscreen father of Bunty Mehra (Kumar).
Despite being a new actor, Kumar truly holds his own against his father.
Not only did Kumar impress, but the film also did wonders for him as a celebrity.
The story, romance, and songs by Amit Kumar were all hits and with his first film, Kumar Gaurav achieved the star status many actors dream of in their entire careers.
During an appearance on Koffee With Karan in 2013, Salman Khan commented:
“After Rajesh Khanna, the only person who has seen stardom is Kumar Gaurav.”
Love Story was indeed a classic film to debut with.
Betaab (1983)
Director: Rahul Rawail
Stars: Shammi Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Amrita Singh, Nirupa Roy, Prem Chopra
Bollywood’s ‘He-Man’ Dharmendra enjoyed historic days of glory in the ’60s and ’70s.
Rahul Rawail oversees the debut of Dharmendra’s eldest son Sunny Deol in Betaab.
Sunny portrays Sunny Kapoor. The film revolves around his romance with Roma Singh Girji (Amrita Singh).
Although it is only his first film, Sunny successfully carves his own identity with his raw talent.
The audience can also see indications of the machismo that Sunny is now famous for.
Sunny frequently names Betaab as the film closest to his heart, it being his first.
As Sunny Deol continues to entertain us over 40 years since Betaab, enjoy watching the film to see where it all started for him.
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988)
Director: Mansoor Khan
Stars: Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla, Goga Kapoor, Dalip Tahil, Alok Nath
The superstar Aamir Khan is the son of producer Tahir Hussain. He is also the nephew of the renowned filmmaker Nasir Hussain.
Before venturing into films as an actor, Aamir assisted Nasir Sahab on many of his projects.
After Aamir played a background role in Ketan Mehta’s Holi (1984), Nasir Sahab decided to launch him properly as a leading man.
The film was directed by Nasir Sahab’s son Mansoor Khan and was titled Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
Also launching Juhi Chawla, the film was a pure romance.
It was a welcomed change from the slew of unpopular action films that the industry was churning out in the ’80s.
Cherubic, innocent and brash, Aamir puts a refreshing take on Rajveer ‘Raj’ Singh.
His Shakespearean love story with Rashmi Singh (Juhi) was immensely loved.
Anand-Milind’s gentile soundtrack and Mansoor’s direction made Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak one of the most refreshing Bollywood debuts.
Barsaat (1995)
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi
Stars: Bobby Deol, Twinkle Khanna, Raj Babbar, Mukesh Khanna, Danny Denzongpa
Rajkumar Santoshi’s Barsaat marks the debut of not one but two star kids.
Dharmendra’s younger son Bobby Deol and Rajesh Khanna’s elder daughter Twinkle Khanna act for the first time.
Bobby stars as the charismatic Badal, while Twinkle shines as Tina Oberoi.
Bobby became famous instantly for the blue sunglasses he wore in the film.
Meanwhile, Tina emerged as a promising newcomer. However, she left the profession after 16 films.
She then went on to marry Akshay Kumar in 2001.
Bobby has continued to work with perseverance. He found a new lease of fame with several web series.
These include Class of 83 (2020) and Love Hostel (2022).
He garnered huge acclaim for his antagonistic role of Abrar Haque in Animal (2023).
Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai (2000)
Director: Rakesh Roshan
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Ameesha Patel, Anupam Kher, Farida Jalal
With the release of Khudgarz (1987), Rakesh Roshan established himself as a talented filmmaker.
At the turn of the century, he decided to launch his son Hrithik Roshan who had been assisting him on several films.
Hrithik plays two characters in Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai: Rohit Kumar and Raj Chopra.
Rohit and Sonia Saxena (Ameesha Patel) fall in love. However, when tragedy strikes, Sonia comes across Raj.
Hrithik dazzles in the film and not just by his performance. From his very first onscreen outing, he proved himself to be an excellent dancer.
In an interview with Preity Zinta, Hrithik reveals:
“I rehearsed every single dance step for one hour, and when the film was released, people started calling me Michael Jackson.”
What followed was a wonderfully prolific career that began with one of the strongest Bollywood debuts in history.
Refugee (2000)
Director: JP Dutta
Stars: Abhishek Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jackie Shroff, Suniel Shetty
Similar to the aforementioned Barsaat, JP Dutta’s Refugee gave us two bright newcomers for the price of a single ticket.
The film introduces Amitabh Bachchan’s son Abhishek Bachchan and Randhir Kapoor’s younger daughter Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Incidentally, Kareena was supposed to make her debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai.
However, when things didn’t materialise, she found footing in this hard-hitting film.
Centred around Indian and Pakistani refugees, the film sees Abhishek and Kareena bring complexity and depth to their roles.
Given his father is such a legend, Abhishek particularly dealt with severely high expectations.
However, he delivers a memorable performance. He and Kareena both prove that they are in it for the long haul.
For her performance in the film, Kareena won the Filmfare Award for ‘Best Female Debut’ in 2001.
Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Naa (2008)
Director: Abbas Tyrewala
Stars: Imran Khan, Genelia D’Souza
There was excitement galore when Aamir Khan’s nephew Imran Khan was due to make his official debut in this film.
As a child, Imran played the younger versions of Aamir’s characters in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992).
The film showcases the unique love story of Jai ‘Ratz’ Singh Rathore (Imran) and Aditi ‘Meow’ Mahant (Genelia D’Souza).
Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Naa is funny, modern, and has an engaging story. It was a smashing debut for Imran Khan.
The film received universal acclaim and the song ‘Pappu Can’t Dance‘ remains an evergreen chartbuster.
After the release of Katti Batti (2015), Imran took a sabbatical from acting to focus on his personal life and mental health.
However, he gave an interview to Anupama Chopra in 2024.
During the chat, Anupama tells Imran: “There are people who have come to our office only because you’re here.”
This suggests that people still admire Imran and here’s hoping he makes his screen return soon.
Student of the Year (2012)
Director: Karan Johar
Stars: Rishi Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan
Karan Johar’s Student of the Year launches the children of two popular directors.
Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter Alia Bhatt stars as Shanaya Singhania.
Meanwhile, David Dhawan’s son Varun Dhawan appears as Rohan ‘Ro’ Nanda.
The trio is completed by Abhimanyu ‘Abhi’ Singh (Sidharth Malhotra).
Varun and Alia give charming and resplendent performances. Though both are very young, they deliver with confidence and grace.
The two stars generate an electrifying chemistry that has continued in several films since.
Anupama Chopra praises the three leads. She opines:
“They are the backbone of this film, but they pull it off.”
Student of the Year gave the industry two remarkable actors in the form of the star kids Varun and Alia.
Alia, particularly, has become one of the most loved actresses of her time.
Maharaj (2024)
Director: Siddharth P Malhotra
Stars: Junaid Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey, Sharvari Wagh
After dabbling in theatre, Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan finally made his film acting debut with Maharaj.
The film premiered on Netflix in June 2024, introducing the audience to a fine actor in the form of Junaid.
Arguably, he is yet to reach the standards of his father, but one cannot be denied that he is brimming with potential.
In Maharaj, Junaid inhabits the world of Karsandas ‘Karsan’ Mulji.
The film is inspired by the real story of how Karsan fought to expose a corrupt spiritual leader, Yadhunath Brijratanji ‘JJ’ Maharaj.
Jaideep Ahlawat plays JJ and delivers a menacing performance.
However, Junaid stands tall in this original world of the 19th century.
His diction, emotion, and nuance prove that he has a great journey ahead of him.
Bollywood debuts of star kids often come with great expectations.
Sometimes, the audience only watches the films because of the famous names attached to the new actors.
It can be daunting and tough for these young newcomers, but all these films showcased promising new faces.
Some of them have gone on to become even more famous than their relatives.
Others may not ever be able to reach the dizzying heights of fame as those before them, but that doesn’t mean that they are less talented.
So, grab some snacks and prepare to enjoy these riveting Bollywood debuts of star kids.
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