Born To Name, Not Fame

The name walks into the room before you do. Bachchan. Kapoor. Khan. Ambani. Tata. Birla. NTR. Akkineni... These are more than family names. They come with recognition, fame and, often, influence and commercial value. But, you can inherit a surname; not the achievements that made it famous.

The question came into focus during the Delhi High Court proceedings involving Aaradhya Bachchan. While hearing the Bachchans’ claims over their image and personality rights, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani raised a larger question: what does the next generation really inherit — the name, the goodwill, the fame or the brand value?

Name that comes first

Few understand that equation better than actor Nagarjuna Akkineni. For him, the family name is inseparable from his public identity, but inheriting it does not mean inheriting the achievements of the generation before you. “Surname is my identity,” says Nagarjuna, recalling that he approached the Delhi High Court after his name was used wrongly in YouTube videos. “I think in India, a surname is an identity itself, whether good or bad. You inherit it.”

But inheritance, he stresses, is not achievement. “I have a surname now which I inherited from my father. Whether my father was very popular or a celebrity or a legend, that doesn’t make a difference. I inherit it. Whether I upkeep it or not, that is up to me. And it’s the same thing with the children.”

Born into expectations

The family name may look like an advantage, but Nagarjuna says his own children have also had to deal with the pressure attached to it. “My children had to go through their own struggles. And the surname could have been a disadvantage for them also, because of the expectations. Because of the surname which is there from my father and then from me, they had to work a little extra to prove themselves.” The bigger the legacy, the harder it can be to escape comparison.

First door opens easily

For brands, the attraction is obvious. An unknown personality can take years to become recognisable, while a famous family name arrives with familiarity and an existing cultural narrative. “I don’t think there is a fixed ‘price’ attached to a famous surname, but there is certainly a commercial premium attached to it,” says Smita Khanna Kithania, chief operating officer, Newton Consulting Group.

A famous name can reduce the cost of making consumers notice and remember a new face, she says, but “it cannot manufacture credibility, talent or consumer connection.” Celebrity manager Preet Maru Sana agrees that a recognised family name “definitely carries commercial value today”, particularly in entertainment and endorsements. But, she adds, “The surname may open doors to a lot of opportunities, but the person has to build their own identity nowadays too.”

Privilege with price

A celebrity child starts with what newcomers spend years building: recognition. But the family name cuts both ways. Success can be dismissed as nepotism, while failure attracts bigger scrutiny. Kithania calls it “borrowed equity”, powerful at first, but something that must eventually become personal.

Prithviraj Sukumaran has been unusually candid about his own advantage, admitting, “I only got my first film because of my surname. I’m a complete nepo product.”

Abhishek Bachchan has spoken from another perspective, calling his surname “sacred” and saying, “I am whatever I am today because of my surname.”

But here’s the legal catch

A famous family name can carry enormous goodwill, but that does not automatically mean every family member legally owns that reputation.

Kumar Anurag Singh, Advocate, Supreme Court of India and Founding Partner, Singh & Mukherjee Chambers, draws a clear distinction. “A famous surname can carry enormous goodwill, but goodwill does not automatically mean that every member of a family acquires an enforceable proprietary right over that reputation,” he says.

A surname, trademark, copyright, passing off and personality rights are separate legal concepts. “The law can protect reputation from unlawful exploitation; it cannot simply transfer fame from one generation to another,” Singh explains.

Your contribution matters

“Surnames carry generational identity and family history, connecting ancestors with descendants. Coming from a political family, the Kasu surname gave me recognition when I returned from the UK after 20 years. I introduced LASIK to India and served all adding to my surname’s goodwill. Goodwill can pass down, but it’s not permanent. That is why they say, ‘Small trees struggle to grow under a banyan tree.’ Sometimes, especially with a celebrity surname, it can be very hard to live up to the name.”

— Dr Kasu Prasad Reddy,

Maxivision Eye Hospitals, India

You have to earn your credibilty

Ultimately, it is the impact of what you do that matters. A family legacy can certainly give you a tailwind, but it is only a starting advantage. What you do with that advantage, the value you create and the difference you make is what ultimately defines you. You have to earn your own credibility, build your own path and prove yourself through the choices you make and the impact you create. Legacy may give you a head start, but it is your actions, ideas and contribution that determine how that legacy is carried forward.”

— G. V. Prasad,

co-chairman and managing director of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories