A look at the kids of Bollywood stars trying to make their mark in the film industry

As Govinda’s daughter, Tina Ahuja makes her struggle-ridden debut in the film Second Hand Husband. Here's a rounds up of some of the other star kids who’ve tried, but failed to make their mark in the Hindi film industry.

Tina Ahuja, left, and Punjabi singer and actor Gippy Grewal, who star in Second Hand Husband. AFP Photo

In an industry known for its nepotism, it’s no surprise that the children of Bollywood superstars often become actors, too. But not everyone has it work out for them quite as well as six-time Filmfare award winners Saif Ali Khan (son of actress Sharmila Tagore), Hrithik Roshan (son of producer/actor Rakesh Roshan), or Kajol (daughter of actress Tanuja).

Tina Ahuja, the daughter of the actor Govinda, finally makes her debut with Smeeg Kang’s romcom Second Hand Husband, due out in UAE theatres today. Ahuja is expected to live up to her father’s stardom – he boasts a 30-year career, with 165 films and two Filmfare awards, but the 26-year-old had to wait years for her break. In Second Hand Husband, which also features veteran actor Dharmendra, Ahuja and Punjabi actor/singer Gippy Grewal portray lovers Gurpreet and Rajbir, who want to get married, but their plans are hampered by the fact that Rajbir is already married, and his wife refuses to divorce him, unless he pays a hefty alimony. To to avoid that, Rajbir sets out to find a husband for his ex-wife.

Its been a rough road for Ahuja so far – she claims to have no friends in the industry, and has gone on record to state that she never expected her father to call on his contacts to launch her film career. She also vehemently denies that she was, as rumour has it, dropped from what would have been her debut film: the 2010 Salman Khan superhit Dabangg, which instead was the debut of Shatrugan Sinha’s daughter Sonakshi Sinha. Sinha has since then gone on to make 15 films, including the 2012 sequel Dabangg 2.

Ahuja had said that she wanted to wait for the right script and didn’t want to work in films just for the sake of it. Govinda defended his daughter by stating that she has had more than 30 offers, all of which she declined. However, there is no record of any major producer or director confirming that Ahuja has turned down any of their scripts.

Let’s hope the aspiring actress has a better time than a few of her peers.

Actor Jackie Shroff’s son Tiger Shroff made his debut last year in Sajid Nadiadwala’s Heropanti. Since then, he has only managed to bag one project, which he is currently working on.

Actor Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mahakshay Chakraborty, better known as Mimoh, debuted in the 2008 film Jimmy (a reference to the character his father portrayed in his 1982 debut film Disco Dancer), for which he received a nomination for Best Male Debut, even though the film failed at the box office. Mimoh’s fledgling career took a surprising nosedive immediately after. He made three films in the next three years, none of which made an impact, after which he tried his luck in ­Bengali films, but didn’t get too far.

Another star kid to bite the dust was Anupam and Kirron Kher’s son, Sikander, who was set to make his debut in the 2001 cult hit Dil Chahta Hai (in the role that Saif Ali Khan went on to play), but didn’t make it on the big screen until 2008, in Woodstock Villa, which flopped. His performance received rave reviews from critics, but Sikander has only made four films since then, none of which have made any major impact. He is currently working on his fifth, the sequel to the 2010 film Tere Bin Laden, due to be released next year.

Another unfortunate write-off in Bollywood, but who continues to thrive in television and theatre, is Raj Babbar’s daughter Juhi Babbar, who first appeared on the silver screen in 2003 in Kash Aap Hamare Hote opposite Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam, who, incidentally, has had no luck with his acting career either.

As for Ahuja, it remains to be seen whether the audience take to her more warmly than Bollywood has.