Sky Force Actor Veer Pahariya Disassociates Himself From Nepotism Debate, Asks 'How Am I A Star Kid?' | Exclusive

Debutante Veer Pahariya's Sky Force has become the first Bollywood film to hit the ₹100 crore mark at the box office in 2025. The movie is doing well despite competition from Shahid Kapoor's Deva and has also received praise from viewers, especially Veer's role as IAF officer T Vijaya.

In an interview with Republic, the young actor reflected on the ongoing debate about nepotism in Bollywood. Veer, the grandson of former Maharastra Home Minister Sushil `Kumar Shinde, said that he would like to disassociate with the term "star kid" as his family is not traditionally in the film business, but politics.

He talked about the political legacy of his grandfather Shinde and shared that art was what he wanted to pursue as a career. He questioned the "star kid" tag for himself and the accompanying expectations, telling us, "How am I a star kid? To be honest I would have felt the pressure if I would have chosen his path and went on to pursue a career in politics. There would have been more pressure then because he (Sushil Kumar Shinde) has been such a great person in his career. I would have had to work doubly as hard to reach there. Art was something that came to me naturally and I have honed my skills. When I got the opportunity, I took a leap."

Meanwhile, Veer has also been receiving brickbats for overexposure on social media, which many have claimed is the result of "orchestrated PR campaigns". About this, he shared, "I feel acting is a field where the love of the audience is very important. Maybe, I feel that the public wants to see them more that is why they (PR agents) are doing it. There is nothing more to it."