Salman Khan’s nephew Ayaan on stage name Agni and fighting the nepotism tag

Superstar Salman Khan’s nephew, Ayaan Agnihotri, recently debuted as a singer and musician with his single ‘Universal Law’. At the star-studded launch in Dubai, Khan even teased him about the ‘nepotism tag’. However, the young rapper remains unfazed by the same. In an exclusive chat with India Today Digital, Ayaan spoke about taking up the moniker Agni and why the N-word holds no relevance in his life.

Talking about picking up a stage name, Ayaan shared that when he started writing around seven-eight years back, he wanted to build a faceless account to put out his music. He shared that he didn’t want to have an identity but only build a persona, and express what he thought and felt. “I also wanted it to do something with me and yet be ambiguous enough, so I took Agni from my surname. It is also a powerful element and, in the Hip Hop community, burn means you did well. So everything just aligned with the name,” Ayaan shared.

He added that when he did start working towards it, he felt he wasn’t confident in his ability yet to have a faceless account. As he worked hard to polish himself, Ayaan also fell in love with the Agni personality, as he shared, “It gave me a persona and a confidence of another level. Things that I wouldn’t be able to say as Ayaan, I could do that with Agni. It allowed me to be liberated and free, and I just fell in love with that idea. And that’s how it all came into being.”

While discussing the grand launch of his single, we reminded him of Salman Khan’s words, and whether he’s ready to fight the nepotism tag. To this, the young musician replied, “Honestly, I don’t care. I know a lot of people take stress, but I firmly believe it’s something taken out of context. The system has existed since the dawn of time, be it bloodlines in the Royal families or business and political families passing the baton. We come from a culture where we are taught to support our own, and look after our friends and family. And when you do so, it’s called nepotism. How is that fair? I really feel people have started misusing the term and taking it completely out of context.”

Given that Ayaan Agnihotri has grown up amid artists in his family, we asked him if that helped him shape and find his true calling. “Absolutely, from writer, director, producer, actor, fashion designer, stylists, everyone in the family has explored something and is pursuing something in the creative field. So, it’s actually very encouraging. I think it’s just in my blood,” he added.

And when asked to name the person who gives him the best feedback, Ayaan quickly replied, “It’s my father. We have always connected over music, and that continues.”