Actor Muzammil Ibrahim, who made his Bollywood debut with the 2007 film Dhokha, is opening up about what he sees as the industry’s bias towards star kids. The model-turned-actor believes that his debut performance
deserved the Best Debut award over Ranbir Kapoor’s turn in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya, which also released in 2007.
Speaking to Filmibeat Prime, Muzammil said, “I think the industry has not been fair because the way I acted in my debut, if a star kid did the same thing, he would have been somewhere else. I don’t remember Ranbir Kapoor acting that great in Saawariya. I know that I deserved the Best Debut award for my first film. I do feel that I have not gotten my due.”
The actor, who once dated Deepika Padukone, added that while he is beginning to get some recognition now, it’s still not at the level he believes he earned, “Not in the capacity that I feel I deserved because had I been a star kid, the limelight I would have gotten would have been crazy.”
Muzammil recalled the hype that followed his debut, saying, “People had started saying that India has got its next superstar at that point of time. I am not saying it.”
However, he also claimed that the industry’s top names have deliberately limited his opportunities, “I feel even now, they know that I am deserving. They also know that I am a threat to the guys who are the A-listers and they watch out for their own assets a lot. They will have me removed from a parallel lead. They have done that in the past.”
This isn’t the first time he’s spoken about being sidelined. In an earlier interview with Siddharth Kannan, Muzammil revealed, “Ayan Mukerji had written a role for me in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, but he ultimately went ahead with Aditya Roy Kapur for the same role.”
Despite these challenges, the Special Ops 2 actor says he remains determined to claim the recognition he feels is long overdue—while making it clear he’s unafraid to challenge Bollywood’s unwritten power dynamics.
