With director Jude Anthany Joseph’s Thudakkam, Vismaya Mohanlal, the daughter of Dadasaheb Phalke Awardee Mohanlal, has made her foray into Malayalam cinema. The movie also marked the acting debut of producer Antony Perumbavoor’s son, Aashish Joe Antony, rendering it a “clash of the nepo kids.”While nepotism among actors has often been a hot topic, it was rarely a concern for Malayalam cinema for the longest time. One of the main reasons was that, unlike in other industries, nepo kids seldom made a significant impact here if they failed to impress the audience with their work. Even if they received an easy debut, launched by one of their parents, relatives, or family friends, unless the nepo kid themself did a solid job, they risked being written off almost instantly.Must Read | Thudakkam review: Vismaya Mohanlal shines, but Mohanlal’s cameo can’t save this flawed filmTo be precise, almost all those who had prior connections to the top strata of Malayalam cinema established themselves and continued to be chosen solely because they could stand on their own, separate from the names that brought them into the industry.Nepotism in Malayalam cinemaVeteran actors Vijayaraghavan and Jagathy Sreekumar stand as prime examples of this. The son of legendary playwright and theatre director NN Pillai, Vijayaraghavan made his acting debut in Kaapalika (1973), scripted by his father. Meanwhile, Jagathy made his first appearance as a child artiste in Achanum Makanum (1957), written by his father, iconic dramatist Jagathy NK Achary.Having been active members of their fathers’ drama troupes, they were familiar with the art of acting since childhood. Also, they grew up in an era when theatre was at its peak, and Pillai and Achary were widely regarded figures in Kerala’s cultural domain.However, Vijayaraghavan and Jagathy (who made his debut as an adult with the 1974 film Kanyakumari) outgrew their familial legacies and established themselves as two of the finest character actors in Malayalam cinema.Story continues below this ad Veteran actor Vijayaraghavan is the son of legendary playwright and theatre director NN Pillai. (Credit: Facebook/@actorvijayaraghavan)From Sukumari and Shobana (related to the iconic Travancore sisters: Lalitha, Padmini, and Ragini), Jayan (the maternal cousin of actor Jayabharathi), and Mukesh (theatre director O Madhavan and character actor Vijayakumari’s son), to Sai Kumar (son of acting legend Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair), the Kalaranjini-Kalpana–Urvashi sister trio (the granddaughters of ace author Sooranad Kunjan Pillai and daughters of drama actors), and Shammy Thilakan (acting legend Thilakan’s son), there are several exceptional actors who made the audience completely forget their prior connections to the industry.At the same time, those who couldn’t impress the masses were shown the door quickly enough, never even receiving a chance to promise them that they would learn on the go. Since the industry wasn’t as wealthy as its counterparts and the market for Malayalam movies was limited, producers and production houses also preferred not to gamble with such star kids, opting instead for safe bets, even if that meant nearly every film featured a similar set of actors.While one could argue that producers were principled and didn’t wish to impose talentless nepo kids on the audience, it could also have been strictly business. From Prem Nazir, Sheela, Sathyan, Sarada, and Madhu to later stars like Sukumaran, MG Soman, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Revathy, and Manju Warrier, Malayalam cinema always had enough talented outsiders who could easily entice audiences and draw them into cinema halls. So, why would producers waste money on those who couldn’t promise returns?How Malayalees handled Fahadh Faasil’s disastrous debutFahadh Faasil remains the biggest example highlighting how brutal Malayalees can be towards nepo kids. As the son of legendary director Fazil, the man behind some of the most iconic movies of all time, including Manichitrathazhu (1993), widely regarded as one of the finest Indian films, anticipation was high for Fahadh’s debut. This was mainly because Fazil was an expert in launching exceptional debutants, with Mohanlal (Manjil Virinja Pookkal), Kunchacko Boban (Aniyathipraavu), and Shalini (Ente Mamattikkuttiyammakku and Aniyathipraavu) being the best examples.Story continues below this adHowever, Fahadh’s performance in Kaiyethum Doorath (2002) was not just unimpressive, but it felt as though Fazil took people’s love and trust for granted and tried to force his ill-equipped son upon them. The movie met with harsh reactions, forcing the young man to take a long hiatus. Although he returned over half a decade later, better prepared, and emerged as one of the best actors of his generation in the country, the responses to Fahadh’s disastrous debut showed how discerning and hard to impress Malayalees are. Fahadh Faasil in Kaiyethum Doorath. (Screenshot: YouTube/CentralTalkiesmovies)In fact, this has always been the case. Be it Prem Nazir’s son Shanavas (late), who initially showed promise but withered away soon enough; Sheela’s son George Vishnu; Soman’s son Saji Soman; veteran director IV Sasi and yesteryear actor Seema’s daughter Anu IV; or Ratheesh’s children Parvathy and Padmaraj Ratheesh — none of them managed to make a significant impact. And, if not for occasional appearances in certain movies, they would have long been forgotten.From Prithviraj to Kunchacko Boban: Why early star kids faced double the scrutinyEven though Sukumaran and Mallika’s sons, Indrajith and Prithviraj Sukumaran, and legendary movie producer Kunchacko’s grandson, Kunchacko Boban, made easy debuts, their journey forward was strenuous. They faced more (rightful) scrutiny at every turn than their outsider contemporaries. While the audience went easy on others, they showed no sympathy towards the star kids and nitpicked them far too often.Knowing Malayalees’ nature well, Indrajith and Prithviraj were mindful and did not take things lightly. When Kunchacko felt that he was being heavily typecast and that if things continued this way, he would soon be written off, the actor took a break, worked on himself, and returned with a willingness to take on diverse roles.Story continues below this ad Actor-director Prithviraj is the son of yesteryear superstar Sukumaran and veteran actor Mallika. (Credit: Facebook/@PrithvirajSukumaran)Since the beginning of the last decade, a new set of nepo kids, predominantly the children of those actors who made their debuts in the 1980s, has been making a beeline to Malayalam cinema. However, with the superstar culture taking firmer root in Malayalam cinema and more money being pumped into the business, the industry’s approach to nepo kids seems to have changed over the last few years. The discerning quality Malayalam audiences was once known for also seems to be waning slowly.Dulquer Salmaan, Pranav Mohanlal, and shifting rules of (nepo kids’) stardomOne of the most notable star kids to debut in the last decade was Mammootty’s son Dulquer Salmaan. Although there’s no doubt that a script found its way to him solely because he’s the son of the megastar, the movie, Second Show (2012), was unlike any other launch vehicle of star kids and became a sensation for its fresh treatment.Mammootty has also often received praise over the years for not serving his son opportunities on a silver platter and instead allowing him to fend for himself. Although Dulquer was far better than many other nepo kids in Indian cinema, his early performances were quite amateurish. Yet he kept getting opportunities one after another.While Vineeth Sreenivasan, the son of legendary screenwriter-director Sreenivasan, earned rightful acclaim as a playback singer and later as a director, it’s shocking that he still receives acting roles despite being, at best, a serviceable performer who can only shine in roles with certain shades.Story continues below this adEven producer G Suresh Kumar and yesteryear actor Menaka’s daughter Keerthy Suresh, who delivered a National Award-winning portrayal in Telugu (Mahanati), has not been consistent with her performances.Although Jayaram’s son Kalidas Jayaram (who was once a brilliant child artiste) and Suresh Gopi’s eldest son, Gokul Suresh, aren’t outright dismal, it’s doubtful they would have remained in Malayalam cinema this long had they not been star kids.Then there are Suresh Gopi’s second son, Madhav Suresh, Sreenivasan’s youngest son, Dhyan Sreenivasan, and Mammootty’s nephews, Maqbool Salmaan and Ashkar Saudan, who drop stinkers far too often and still receive acting roles despite proving multiple times that they are lacking and likely beyond repair. Mukesh and yesteryear actor Saritha’s son Shravan has also been disappointing thus far.Besides actors, there are also directors like Sidharth Bharathan, Akhil Sathyan, Anoop Sathyan, Nithin Renji Panicker, and Abhilash Joshiy, among others, who are sons of iconic filmmakers.Story continues below this adMust Read | How Fahadh Faasil delivered an acting masterclass across three distinct characters in 2019Among Malayalam cinema’s nepo kids, Mohanlal’s children, Pranav and Vismaya, have received the easiest of debuts. Not only were their launch vehicles, Aadhi (2018) and Thudakkam, respectively, bankrolled by the superstar’s close associate and confidante Antony Perumbavoor’s Aashirvad Cinemas, but both films also featured cameo appearances by Mohanlal himself, ensuring a strong opening at the box office.Since Aadhi, Pranav has mostly delivered unimpressive performances, proving time and again that acting might not be his calling. Although he did brilliantly well in Rahul Sadasivan’s Diés Iraé (2025), that brings us to the last part of this story.Are modern directors protecting nepo babies from failure?Be it Pranav’s performance in Diés Iraé, Vineeth Sreenivasan’s in Abhinav Sunder Nayak’s Mukundan Unni Associates (2022), or Kalyani Priyadarshan’s in Dominic Arun’s Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, they all appeared impressive solely because the characters were almost tailor-made for them.Story continues below this adThe creators cleverly played to their strengths, ensuring they had to do only what came naturally to them. The directors never even tried to make the actors push their boundaries per se or step out of their comfort zones. Instead, the creators helped them maintain the metre they were most comfortable with, thus making it seem as if they delivered phenomenal performances.With publicity and marketing reaching new heights and social media becoming a major tool in the manufacture of stars, those with generational backing find it easier to climb to the top and remain there, while outsiders who need to start from scratch struggle to even make themselves seen.With a space for nepo kids, even if they have little to nothing to show in their portfolios, becoming the norm, it won’t hurt to remember the words of Kamal Haasan: “When mediocrity has been set as standard, rubbish is acceptable; acceptable becomes extraordinary; and extraordinary becomes genius.”Cinema cannot exist in a vacuum; it’s all about the discussions that follow. In the Cinema Anatomy column, we delve into the diverse layers and dimensions of films, aiming to uncover deeper meanings and foster continuous discourses.