Mumbai: Nepotism, by now most of us have become familiar with this term. It’s a debate, which was triggered by Kangana Ranaut on Karan Johar’s popular chat show.

She had accused Karan for being the “flag-bearer of nepotism” on his show. Post which they both kept quoting each other through various mediums and it, became a serious matter of discussion in Bollywood.

Several actors, be it senior or from the younger generation have given their opinion on this boiling controversy.

Now, that the argument has denied dying down anytime soon, actor Suniel Shetty too was asked about the nepotism debate at the trailer launch of a film, since his daughter Athiya Shetty was launched in Bollywood by his close friend and industry’s superstar Salman Khan.

Shetty expressed his dismay over actors being soft targets for no reason and says that despite being an outsider, he has achieved everything in the industry on his own merit.

He said the record straight by saying, “Somewhere down the line it happens in all fields because this is what attracts maximum TRPs and media. We are talked about. Nobody gave me a break; I wasn’t a part of the industry. I was a part of South Bombay where we looked at cinema only in theaters. I hadn’t even gone into a studio in my life. You know, so it is my journey that I created and if my child is getting an opportunity then why would anybody object? You see politics, you see businessman, no major corporate house will have the next gen to take over, the chairman to take over is someone other than from his family. Have you heard that ever? He might have a CEO or a COO or a CFO but the chairman is always the chairman and that’s family. So why hang us all the time, constantly?”

Disturbed by daughter Athiya bracketed under nepotism because she’s film star Suniel Shetty’s daughter, papa dearest said, “It hurts because it is not easy for my daughter. She did her first film, it was a 40 crore film but it didn’t work. And once that perception is created then they say it didn’t work. She had to work towards her second film. Nobody gave her a chance after that. So I think this needs to end sometime or the other because it hurts a hell of a lot when people keep saying that.”

Suniel Shetty also gave real life examples to make it easier for people to understand as he concluded, “Somebody from the army who gives his life for the army would want his child to get that respect. Because as a father, he is comfortable in that space so he wants his child in that space that he’s comfortable in. I don’t want to send that child where I don’t know that world. Everyone thinks the same way for their children right? Even you want your child to go to a good school. So even I want my children to go to a good place and for me the best place to be in is my industry. I love my industry and I am proud of it.”