There's a flip side: Actor Mustafa on nepotism

Mustafa, son of Abbas Burmawalla of director duo Abbas-Mustan, is making his acting debut with "Machine". He says though it is easy to get access to all resources in Bollywood thanks to his family background, it is tough to match up to people's expectation due to the same.

Talking about his first step to the film industry, Mustafa said in a statement: "It's wrong to think that having a parent on set makes things easy. Those who say the industry is ridden with nepotism must know there's a flip-side to the equation.

"The access is easy but the stakes are higher and we need to work just as hard to keep getting work."

Mustafa's debut film "Machine" is a romantic thriller, which also features Kiara Advani.

Though he always wanted to become a director and studied for it in New York, before starting his acting career he felt the need of a formal training. Therefore, he went to renowned theatre director N.K. Sharma to learn the art.

"I never wanted to become an actor. I wanted to be a director," said Mustafa, adding: "I haven't done an acting course, but I knew I needed to learn everything before I get to work. I would take time out between shots to rehearse for a few minutes. The toughest was action."

Directed by Abbas-Mustan, the film is releasing on March 17.

--IANS

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