'Deserving' Nepo Kids Ruled 2025: Akshaye Khanna To Kalyani Priyadarshan

2025, like all other years, saw a sea of nepo kids taking over the big screens. Be it yesteryear actors reclaiming the audience's hearts like Akshaye Khanna or a new crop of talent becoming the talk of the town, Ahaan Panday, unlike previous instances, this time, the products of nepotism were greeted warmly by cinegoers. In times when debate about equal opportunities and struggles of outsiders still keeps social media engaged, fans of cinema coined a new, ironic term - ‘deserving nepo kids’. The likes of Kalyani Priyardarshini, Pranav Mohanlal and Aryan Khan fall under the category. Essentially, the term came to be used for actors who are linked to film families, but ruled the big screens on their own merit and made their talent speak for themselves. The distinction is very clear, and not all nepo kids made the cut. Check out who did:

New star, old surname: How Ahaan Panday, Aryan Khan and Zahan Kapoor became talk of the town

The year began with a hard-hitting Netflix series, Black Warrant, which premiered in January. Zahan Kapoor played the role of Sunil Gupta in the seven-episode series based on a real-life incident. The actor, who is a member of the Kapoor family and a second cousin of Ranbir, Kareena and Karisma Kapoor, outshone in the movie and gained the spotlight following his performance. The series has also earned a top spot in IMDB's most popular series of 2025. Zahan also made a brief appearance in the Netflix show, Dining With The Kapoors. 

On one hand, Zahan Kapoor appeared to emerge from the shadows, and on the other, Ahaan Panday seemed to be around on social media for quite some time. The actor, who was a familiar face on social media, shot to overnight fame following the release of his film Saiyaara. The Mohit Suri directorial emerged as the biggest romance movie of all time and is IMDb's most popular movie of the year. For the unversed, Ahaan Panday is the nephew of Chunky Panday and the cousin of Ananya Panday. 

Though marred in controversy, Aryan Khan also made his debut this year. He directed the series Bads of Bollywood, which premiered on Netflix. Though the show ran into trouble for allegedly mocking former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede in a scene, it has emerged as IMDb's most popular web series of 2025.

 

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The nepos that took South by surprise: Kalyani Priyadarshan and Pranav Mohanlal

Regional cinema is infamous for being ruled by nepo kids. From actors to directors, industry insiders have been leading the big projects since time immemorial. This year, however, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Pranav Mohanlal hit it out of the park. Daughter of filmmaker Priyadarshan, Kalyani headlined the superhero movie Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. Released in August, the movie earned massive critical and commercial acclaim. It became the highest-grossing Malayalam movie of the year, with Kalyani earned high praise.

The son of superstar Mohanlal, Pranav Mohanlal, also made it big this year. Known for keeping a private life, the actor stood out in the movie Diés Iraé. His performance as Rohan received massive critical acclaim.

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Old face, new fame: The superstar era of Akshaye Khanna and Bobby Deol 

Old Bollywood actors reclaiming their throne and getting all new fame seems like a personal win. After Bobby Deol's rise with Ashram and Animal, this year he struck again. The actor appeared in a pivotal role in Aryan Khan's Bads of Bollywood. His performance became a talking point about the series.

Another actor, whose resurgence was on no one's 2025 Bingo cards, is Akshaye Khanna. The actor began the year with a gripping performance as Aurangzeb in Chhaava. After delivering the biggest movie of the year, the actor ended 2025 on a high note again by playing the menacing villain, Rehman Dakait, in the Aditya Dhar directorial Dhurandhar. 

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