Nepotism hasn't worked for me: Addhyayan Suman

Mumbai: Addhyayan Suman on Tuesday said more than a popular family name, an actor needs to have an "X factor" to gain the audience's acceptance.

Calling the nepotism debate "futile", Addhyayan said being the son of veteran actor Shekhar Suman has not contributed much to his career.

When asked if nepotism has not worked in his favour, Addhyayan agreed, saying the audience will accept anyone who is talented, irrespective of where they come from.

"It's been 10 years and nepotism has not worked for me. If you look around today, Alia Bhatt receives as much love for 'Gangubai Kathiawadi' as Kartik Aaryan for 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2'. It was a futile conversation when people started talking about nepotism back in the day," the 34-year-old actor told reporters here.

Addhyayan was speaking at a special event for the upcoming third season of Prakash Jha's web series "Aashram".

The actor, who has starred in films such as "Raaz - The Mystery Continues" and "Jashnn", said long-term success can't be engineered with money or marketing.

"At the end of the day, it's the X factor which the audience sees and accepts in an actor. There is nothing bigger than the audience's acceptance, no matter how much money you pump in and what posters you buy. Nepotism doesn't matter. No matter how many films I make, if I don't have the talent, the audience won't accept me," he added.

According to MX Player, the upcoming season of "Aashram" focuses on self-styled godman Nirala (Bobby Deol), the "megalomaniac baba, who continues to bend every rule to suit himself and has become a power-hungry adversary".

Addhyayan, who plays pop singer Tinka Singh on the show, thanked director Jha for giving him the opportunity at a time when he was completely out of work.

"I keep telling people that I went to Prakash sir for work at a time when I didn't have any. No one was giving me work, and that's when he opened the doors of 'Aashram'. The kind of love the show got and my character received was just unexpected. I'll be eternally grateful for that," he added.

Also starring Aaditi Pohankar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Darshan Kumaar, Anupria Goenka and Tridha Choudhury, "Aashram" season three is set to premiere on June 3.