Perhaps one of the most-watched segments of the rabid hit reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians is one where Kim Kardashian is ill and not in the mood for a photoshoot but her mother Kris Jenner is seen egging her on to get over it and give her best. If Kris Jenner is the new-age pushy parent whose chief concern in life is that her children come under the brightest of limelight, then she is certainly not alone. From the time when one Justin Bieber’s mother uploaded her son’s tape on YouTube, showbiz has made way for younger talent to earn fame, adoration and wealth in a journey that is most often facilitated by the untired and often vulgar efforts of parents who are looking to push their offspring.
While those days when you would have to convince your parents to do a single extra-curricular activity after school are mercifully passé, the new crop of mothers and fathers in India today are ambitious enough to put their toddlers into reality shows with grueling schedules, unforgiving judges and harsh results. Often, with whole days devoted to press talks, photoshoots and more interviews, these kids lead a life akin to that of a Wall Street professional — with parents acting as hovering, eager personal assistants.
Pooja Sampath who works as a casting director in Bengaluru and Mumbai has noticed the rise in the number of parents applying to cast their kids. She says, “I have been doing casting for some time now and this (pushy parent syndrome) has certainly increased in the past few years. Parents feel that their kids are cute, so they bring them to casting calls. But the toll a shoot takes on you — the long hours and odd locations can tire an adult — so kids are even more susceptible to the gruel. You can also never know whether the kids himself wants to do it or whether the parents have pushed him into it.”
