Raveena Tandon's daughter Rasha Thadani on nepotism: 'If you don’t perform, you are out'

Rasha Thadani with actor-mom Raveena Tandon

Did Rasha Thadani know early on that she wanted to be an actor? Absolutely. As someone in love with dance and music, Bollywood was a natural calling for the debutant whose maiden movie, Azaad, hits the screens tomorrow. But her actor-mother Raveena Tandon and distributor-father Anil Thadani made one thing clear to the star kid - education before movies. "Growing up, performing arts was my love. After school, I'd go for dance lessons and return home by 9 pm," she recalls. "Once I came home with B grade in a test, and dad was like, ‘See, this is what happens [when you focus on other things].' My parents were keen that I complete my studies."

If she grew up in a home where the emphasis was on studies, not on being groomed for the spotlight, Rasha has her star-mother to thank for it. "My mom always kept us away from her stardom. We saw her movies after we turned 13. She wanted us to live like anyone else," she says.

Rasha Thadani studying on the set of Azaad

But a star kid will catch the public eye at some point. Rasha counts herself lucky that it happened later rather than sooner. "When I was growing up, pap culture wasn't as intense as it is today. When I used to go to school, there were no paps. Now when I see star kids going to the same school, I feel bad because these kids don't want to be bombarded [with lensmen capturing them]," she says.

As she enters the industry, she knows she has big shoes to fill. "I take a lot of pride in the work mom has done," she smiles. At the same time, Rasha will be scrutinised intensely amid the ongoing nepotism discourse. "The audience is king. No matter where you come from, if you don't perform, you are out. There is no saving you from that. The biggest stars right now, whether it's Ranbir Kapoor or Alia Bhatt, are talented."