To say star kids have it easy is stupid: Meezaan Jaffrey on groupism, opportunities
In an exclusive interview with us, Meezaan Jaffrey talks about the biggest myths surrounding nepotism and why it is “stupid” to call star-kids privileged. He talked about collectivism, navigating industry circles and building a career without gimmicks or PR noise.
As long as Meezaan Jafri has been in the public eye, he has heard the word ‘nepotism’. He knows exactly how people talk about star kids, what assumptions they come up with, what shortcuts they believe in. But on a call with us, he is still engrossed in the excitement of ‘De De Pyaar De 2’, doesn’t panic when we mention it. “There is a misconception that we have it easy,” he says candidly.
The 30-year-old, who is actor Javed Jaffrey’s son, says, “Whoever says that is quite stupid. Yes, of course, for us it is easier in a very different perspective, but then for us it is also harder in a different perspective, because that burden and burden is on that star kid as well. It is easier to come with a clean slate than to come with so much baggage.”
There is no defensiveness in his tone, just a frank acceptance of all sides of the truth – his and others’. “Everyone has their own pros and cons,” she said, adding, “Everyone has their own journey. And instead of pointing fingers, I think people should understand that this is very difficult for everyone at every level.”
It is this clarity that also shapes how he views the industry ecosystem, which he is now starting to work on with more confidence. When asked about how little he has done since his debut in 2019, he did not deny collectivism, promote it, or pretend it does not exist. “Everyone has their own set of actors or people, and a lot of people have their talent management agencies tied up with their production houses,” he explains. “Everyone is just working within that framework, and I understand that.”
But his way of dealing with this film fraternity circuitry is refreshing and grounded. “Only the artist knows what they have been offered. Whatever is on my plate has been the best decision I have taken, and I will continue to do so. It is better to make the right decision than to do anything for the sake of work.”
He has spent six years quietly learning what it means to survive here – with patience. “You just have to shut up and keep working,” he says. “I didn’t want to make unnecessary noise or do PR. I wanted my work to speak for me. When the time is right, when I come up with that kind of work, I’ll put myself out there.” And yet, none of this comes from a place of skepticism. If anything, it’s an inherited confidence that he directly attributes to his father. “It runs in my family” he laughs. He added, “We are so confident in ourselves and our art that we don’t feel the need to do silly gimmicks to get attention.”
Being Jaaved Jaaferi’s son is both grounding and inspiring – the mix of trust, pressure and affectionate scrutiny only a parent who is also a master artist can bring. And this time, for the first time in his career, the father-son dynamic also became professional – literally choreographed into the script.
He recalls shooting a song with his father in ‘De De Pyaar De 2’, saying, “They told me I will do a sequence with my father and I said, ‘Oh my God’.” “It’s going to be complicated because I have to kill it now,” he says. The choreography was an elaborate, high-energy number “Javed Jaffrey style” compared to his own “Govinda-esque freestyle comfort zone”.
He describes, “When I saw the piece, I said, ‘Don’t teach it to my father right now. Let me learn it first.'” He laughs, but the subtext is clear: How do you dance next to a man who has been a benchmark for an entire generation?
This was followed by continuous rehearsals for 10 days – morning, afternoon, late night. His father joined in and that’s when the real test began. “He is a teacher through and through,” says Meezaan with the passion of every child who has grown up with a brilliant, devoted parent. “And besides, he is also a parent. So it becomes double trouble. But I am glad that I have someone in my corner who is constantly advising me like Javed Jaffrey who has seen it all.” Even though he didn’t agree with every note, he still understood the privilege of receiving them: I’d rather have someone than have no one.”
This emotional and artistic legacy is perhaps the reason Meezan does not pursue immediate recognition. For him, stardom is a constant. “I don’t know if I’ve found my niche,” he said when we asked him if this: this moment, this success, is what this is after all? He replied, “That’s for the audience to decide. I’m constantly thinking what’s next? The day I say I’ve made it, I think it will be to my detriment.”
This is a surprising answer for someone who once upon a time never even intended to become an actor. “I didn’t,” he says simply. “I was more inclined towards music and sports.” His eyes light up when he describes singing, composing, playing guitar and piano, representing Maharashtra in both football and basketball (we imagine we talk on the call). His arrival into acting came by pure chance, through a college friend, Sharmin Sehgal, his co-star in the 2019 film ‘Malaal’ and niece of filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who needed help on the sets of Bhansali’s film ‘Bajirao Mastani’ starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone. After a fitting session, Bhansali saw them and decided he wanted to launch them. He says, “I had such a golden opportunity. I grabbed it.”
But he approached it with intent: “If I’m doing something, I’m going all in with it. I’m a player. The competitive nature will never die.” And so here he is, with ‘De De Pyaar De 2’, a performance that lit up the screen, as the audience reactions during his theater tour reminded him. “That was direct,” he smiles (again, we guess!). He explains, “I could see the action on people’s faces. They were loving it. I’ll never forget it.”
Before we wrap up, we ask him a softer question: Beyond the movies, beyond the craft, beyond the chaos of an industry that can tempt and exhaust in equal measure. He laughs when we tease him about not casting a girl in the movie. Does real-life romantic Mizan have any advice he trusts?
“I was once told: Find a girl who can be a good mother to your children,” he says, almost shyly. And then he shrugs, honest as ever. He further added, “But right now, it’s just my work and my films. It’s been very, very hectic. I’m trying to make the most of the situation and work as much as possible.”
A young actor who didn’t chase the limelight, but is now learning to steadily stand under it, on his own terms, in his own time, without any noise, without any shortcuts. The baggage, the blessings, the inheritance, the silence, Meezaan is carrying it all, but lightly. Because what matters, and to which he returns again and again, is deceptively simple: “I just want people to love me for my work.”
And while there’s still a long way to go, it looks like she’s already getting all the love she needs.