Actor R Madhavan recently expressed his discontent with the trend of comparing his son, Vedaant, to other children in the film industry amid discussions on nepotism.
Madhavan revealed that he and his wife, Sarita Birje, are unhappy with the comparisons and do not support them.
Vedaant, a successful swimmer, has garnered numerous accolades, including four gold medals and three silver medals at the 48th Junior National Aquatics Championships, as well as five gold medals at the Malaysian Open last year.
Speaking on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast on YouTube, BeerBiceps, Madhavan addressed the issue of raising Vedaant in an environment where he is frequently compared to other celebrity children.
Madhavan emphasized that he does not condone such comparisons and finds the memes and posts circulating on social media distasteful. He stated, "Sarita and I are not very pleased about it. We regret it because comparing a child to another child...see, memes are meant to be consumed, people do whatever it takes to make the memes consumable and at times, they don’t realize how much they hurt other people."
Madhavan further discussed how Vedaant often receives unwarranted attention due to his status as a "celebrity’s son," even when he may not be the most accomplished athlete in the country.
"I am not going to take away from what Vedaant has achieved. He has done what it takes to get the medals that he has and the national record that he has done. And being a celebrity’s child is not easy. He is going to get a lot more attention than most of his friends who have achieved a greater level of success being the same age as Vedaant," he said.
He emphasized that being a celebrity's child comes with its own set of challenges and heightened scrutiny. Madhavan affirmed his awareness of the memes circulating on social media, asserting that they do not bring him any joy. He also acknowledged Vedaant's achievements while highlighting the need to support his peers in the same industry.