Janhvi Kapoor, who is all set for her Bollywood debut, told news agency PTI that she did not want her mother, late actress Sridevi, to come to the sets of Dhadak because she did want her to see what she's doing till had fully completed her task. But Sridevi did accompany Janhvi to the film's sets and she did see the rushes of Dhadak before her death in February 2018. "She supported me a lot but I think both of us were clear that she wanted this to be my own journey. I remember reading lines with her around. But she never said 'Do it like this or that'. She would always say, 'I want you to find this on your own, do it on your own'. I had even told her that I don't want her to come on sets, ever. That 'I don't want you to see what I am doing till I'm fully done with it, I don't want you to tell me how I should do it and let me do this on my own'," said Janhvi Kapoor, 21.
Last year, Sridevi was criticised for saying that to see Janhvi married will give her 'greater joy' than to see her in films. However, the MOM actress issued a statement in which she said her quote was "misunderstood." Her statement read: "What I meant to say initially was that I'd prefer if my daughters didn't lead the kind of hectic lives that comes with this business."
But Janhvi, who wants to follow in her mother's footsteps, told PTI that she aspires to gain the recognition and love Sridevi earned by working in 300 films in a career spanning five decades. "I'm aware of it (the legacy) but I don't think there's a fear. I feel like mom has earned and got so much love, gratitude and adulation from people. There's a lot of gratitude I feel towards that, which even she felt. I want to earn the same kind of love. I know I've to work for it, I want to. I feel there's a responsibility towards them (audience). They've given my mom so much, my mom has given them so much. I want to earn it. I will, hopefully," Janhvi was quoted as saying.
Janhvi is the elder of Boney Kapoor and Sridevi's two daughters. Her younger sister is Khushi. Janhvi told PTI that coming from a film has instilled a sense of maturity in her. "It has helped me in a way that I understand mom's creative space, how to read situations in movies, what she considered good acting or bad acting. So, that has formed opinions for me as well. Dad (Boney Kapoor) is a producer so I know what it's like for producers to deal with actors, be professional and respectful... Everything else that goes into filmmaking. It's made me more aware," she said.
Directed by Shashank Khaitan, Dhadak is scheduled to release on July 20. The film also stars Ishaan Khatter and Ashutosh Rana. Dhadak is produced by Karan Johar.
(With inputs from PTI)
