Janhvi Kapoor’s alleged hypersexualisation in Ram Charan and Buchi Babu Sana’s sports drama Peddi triggered widespread criticism online over the portrayal of women. The director was criticised for allegedly objectifying the actress through the camera angles and narrative. While the lead stars remained silent on the matter, the filmmaker later apologised and promised to remove the controversial scenes. A revised version of the film, without these scenes, was subsequently released. Janhvi, who had remained tight-lipped amid the controversy, has finally broken her silence.
Janhvi Kapoor BREAKS SILENCE On Peddi Controversy
During her appearance on Karan Johar’s Koffee With Karan 9, Janhvi Kapoor was asked about the . She said, “I felt many things, Karan. The reason I felt apprehensive to talk about it is worked very hard on that film. I really didn’t know what to say or if there was anything really to say even because it’s important that I take ownership of my half of whatever that fiasco was. Because it weighs heavily on my consciousness, the sort of negative impact a narrative like that can have on our society, specific to my gender. That shame, I will always carry with me.”
Janhvi continued, “Could I have done more? Could I have been more vigilant? Could I have made a bigger scene? 100 per cent, yes. Was it problematic? Was it extreme objectification? Did it even propagate a sexual assault narrative? Yes. But the only thing I can do is to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I feel like I really went through the beats of beating myself up.”
Janhvi Kapooor
The Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari actress admitted that she did not want to shift the blame but explained that she simply followed the director’s instructions as she wanted to be professional. She revealed that she had tried to minimise the problems as she became aware of them. The actress further said that film industries in the South rarely used bound scripts or included camera angles in them. However, she acknowledged, “But having said that, I do come from a place of privilege. I should’ve taken advantage of that.”
When KJo asked if she felt disappointed by the filmmaker, responded, “God, I really get so conscious when I speak about it because I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to be a victim here. It was a violating experience in a way.”
She concluded by saying that she was glad the controversy had taken place as it would encourage directors and actors to be more conscious about avoiding similar mistakes in the future.