Actor Janhvi Kapoor on Thursday said she had asked her mother superstar Sridevi not to visit her on the set of her debut film Dhadak, a decision she described as "one of the biggest regrets" of her life. Janhvi, daughter of Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, made her foray into acting with 2018's Dhadak. The film released months after Sridevi died in Dubai at the age of 54. Hailed as one of the first female superstars of the Indian film industry, Sridevi worked across languages in films such as Moondru Mudichu, Pokkiri Raja, Sadma, Chaalbaaz, Lamhe, Chandni and English Vinglish.
Janhvi said she consciously wanted to be away from her mother as she had "an unfair advantage". "People were already saying 'You got your first film because you are Sridevi's daughter'. I decided I won't take any help from her. I thought I had an unfair advantage. It will be more unfair if I took her advice. So, I told her 'Please don't come on set, I have to work on my own'.
"Sometimes, I feel it was stupid of me. I took all that nonsense a bit too seriously. I regret it... I know she was dying to come on set and help me as a mother. I just didn't let her. One of the biggest regrets... I wish I had just said 'Mumma, please come, I have a shoot. I need you'," the 26-year-old said during a session on the second day of Agenda AajTak 2023.
Janhvi, known for her work in diverse films such as Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Good Luck Jerry, and Mili, said initially she used to feel pressured about being compared with her mother.
"I would get nervous and overworked about all this baggage. But then I realised I was being compared to Mumma, Sridevi Kapoor, so that was the standard. It only started motivating me. In fact, Mumma told me that my performance in my first film will be compared with her last film. She had said 'I don't wish this kind of pressure even on my enemy'," she said. The actor said she didn't understand the baggage of legacy would be that heavy.
"In life, there can never be any comparisons or competitiveness between a mother and a daughter. You don't compete with your mom. It's unfair to compare any actor to my mother. So, I understood that my aim is not to compete with her legacy but make her proud. I just want to take her legacy forward and I'll keep trying to do this till the day I die," she added.
Janhvi also praised her sister Khushi Kapoor for her debut film, The Archies. "I told her 'Be prepared, people are waiting to hate you. But don't forget yourself'... She did such a wonderful job. Her performance was very honest and warm." During the session, the actor said Sridevi didn't like watching her own films. "She used to hate it. So, I used to watch them in secret," she said.
Janhvi said initially she saw her mother's lighter films like Mr India but has the strongest memory of watching Sadma with Sridevi. "I remember we saw 'Sadma' together and I became really angry at her because by the end of the film, she doesn't recognise Kamal (Haasan) sir's character. I asked her 'Mumma, how could you forget Kamal sir?' I didn't speak to her for two days. I was very shaken," she recalled.
The actor said she has started watching Sridevi's old films to "objectively study her work" now that she is set to make her south cinema debut with Devara, fronted by Jr NTR. Janhvi also said life has come full circle for her with "Devara" as Sridevi and Telugu cinema veteran NT Rama Rao, grandfather of Jr NTR, worked in several films such as Vetagaadu, Satyam Shivam and Anuraga Devataa.
The actor said Devara marks her first glamorous role. "Dressing up, dancing, theatrics, this is my second nature. I have consciously tried to stay away from glamorous roles... The world of Devara is very different. It's grand yet real," she added.
She is also looking forward to the release of Mr and Mrs Mahi, in which Janhvi plays the role of a cricketer. The actor said she dislocated both her arms while playing cricket for the movie, which also stars Rajkummar Rao.
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