New Star Kids on THE BLOCK

A fresh crop of newcomers is making their debut on the Hindi film landscape unaccompanied by the hype of star kids of yore

- By SUHANI SINGH

Khushi Kapoor didn't have an apple-drops-on-the-head moment when she knew she'd be an actress. She, and those around her, just knew. She would dance and enact scenes as a child, proof that her joy lay in front of the camera. "Janhvi and I were both interested in our parents' work, watching films and being on sets. When your family is in the industry, you are naturally inclined to do the same," says the 24-yearold, the youngest child of Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor. In Loveyapa, a romantic comedy that released on February 7, she is paired up with another star kid-Junaid Khan, Aamir Khan's first-born. Contrary to popular belief that all actor kids are buddies, Khushi and Junaid's paths hadn't crossed until they were offered the parts of a couple who exchange their mobiles and in the process discover inconvenient truths that test their relationship.

For Khushi, Loveyapa couldn't have come at a better time. Reeling from "negative feedback" for her turn as Betty in Zoya Akhtar's Archies (2023), a Netflix film that also marked the debuts of Agastya Nanda, grandson of Amitabh Bachchan, and Suhana Khan, daughter of Shah Rukh, young Khushi found a way to shift focus. "Instead of letting it affect me, I was like 'OK, how do I change this perception and work harder to make an impact?" After Loveyapa, she has another "new age, young adult romance" lined up in Nadaaniyan. Billed as the "innocence of first love", the Netflix release marks the entry of Ibrahim Ali Khan, son of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh.