What's the true nature of Nepotism in Bollywood?
Is it only about talented outsiders not getting a chance to work for big banners?
No, it's far more sinister than that.
It's about eliminating competition from the "outside".
The Nepotism gangs operate like the mafia.
A thread

Years ago, Govinda publicly shed tears when his film was not being allowed to release. The film was produced by Smita Thackeray so they couldn't the touch Maharashtra markets but blocked it everywhere else. The film released after a delay of 3 years.

It's about controlling access to markets (called Circuit in Bollywood jargon), limiting numbers of theatres (called screens) where the film is allowed to release and ensuring that you don't step into 'their' territory.
We're talking about hundreds of crores worth of business here

They regulate a film's worth. The worth of a film is at what price the complete film is sold to distributors. The Nepotism gang regulates that price.
Sara Ali Khan and Sushant Singh Rajput both made their debut with Abhishek Kapoor. Listen to what she says

In Bollywood, you can't understand a film's worth until the previews start. A Bollywood film heavily depends on word-of-mouth publicity.
Unless the horses come from their stable, the 'gangs' try to spoil the race.
Akshay Kumar spoke about how they operate.

Youngsters vie for the TV industry with stars in their eyes, hoping to make the cut like Shah Rukh Khan or Vidya Balan.
But the gates between Bollywood and TV are monitored by the 'gangs'.
People who have made it through, are exceptions, not the rule.

Nepotism gangs ensure that you don't get recognition. Even though most awards are for sale yet they aren't given to outsiders. Getting awards means your market price goes up. You might get better endorsements.
Akshay Kumar never got any for 20 years!

Since beginning, Bollywood has blocked talented heroes from down south with varying degrees of success.
The nepotism gangs have used heroes from south India to earn money at the box office but didn't allow them to grow.
Best example: Rajinikanth!

A handful of top producers tightly regulate the business. They don't allow outsiders to come in and flourish unless they need them. All outsiders have filled up a vacuum.
Most outsiders consider signing their first film as their ultimate success.

But all that is going to change post lockdown. The whole business model is going to change as the Nepotism gang loses grip on the business. Internet will bring about a democracy that never existed in Bollywood before. The nepotism gang is on its last legs. https://twitter.com/shekharkapur/status/1275402009529602049?s=20

Some have been able to withstand the losses, some obviously couldn't.
More than a thousand theatres will not be able to bear the losses the pandemic has bought forth. Thousands have lost jobs and more than 100 films are waiting to get a theatrical release. https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/bollywood-news/covid-19-lockdown-can-force-1000-theaters-to-shut-all-over-india.html

Given the post pandemic situation, interesting things are happening between the Nepotism gangs.
The gangs might lose much of their iron grasp as the nature of the business changes.
Sushant Singh Rajput's death will actually mark the beginning of the end of the Nepotism gangs

Bollywood and the Real Estate sector in Mumbai are basically in the same boat. They have numerous high value projects but no demand. Yet they aren't willing to sell at cheaper rates.
Hence they are holding on to the inventory as losses keep mounting.
What's the implication?

The desperation is growing. Remember, they don't earn their money from the semi-urban or rural sectors. They earn their big monies from the metros and overseas. Both markets are frozen.
The multiplexes are trying very hard to reopen but aren't sure if there will be footfall.

To cut a long story short, the nepotism gangs are the hardest hit. No one is agreeing to release their high value films any time soon when the market is just waking up after coma. On the other hand, their flagship film productions are stuck with crores getting wasted every month.

Some of the low-cost theatrical releases have already been redirected to the OTT platforms. More are on the way.
But on OTT, budgets are an issue. It's not a viable option for a film whose production cost is more than Rs. 50 crores. These films need to wait for theatrical release

The Nepotism gangs are bleeding badly as the nature of Bollywood business changes. Infighting has started as they schedule their films for release. Nobody wants to release their film when lockdown ends. They all want to wait it out till audiences return to the theatres.

The greater the delay, more stronger the OTT platforms become. The OTT platforms have emerged as an alternative to the theatres though it might not be able to replace them.
So, two sets of films have emerged. One aimed for the OTT platforms and another, for the theatres

In this world where valuations decide the future of businesses, imagine what will happen if the OTT platforms become more valuable and viable than the theatrical business.
That will be the death knell for all who are controlling the business.
Many more smaller players will emerge

We already have 40+ OTT platforms in India and the market is expanding.
While the markets of the theatrical business are fast shrinking.
Will this spell the end of Bollywood's nepotism gangs who control the business like mafia?
Only time will tell that tale.
Thread ends