Janhvi Kapoor (23), daughter of actor Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, is all set for the release of her latest project, Dinesh Vijan’s Roohi, in theatres on March 11. The actor gets candid about the criticism she had faced for having the advantage of a privileged background in the film industry. Talking about the effort involved with regard to gaining fans’ support, Janhvi said people were not obliged to love her and that she had to give them reasons to. She added that she would keep working hard to “win everyone”.
“Scrutiny is part of the job, there’s little that can be done about it. I have signed up for it. You’re giving yourself to the people, asking for their love. But they’re not obligated to love you, you’ve to give them reasons to,” she said during an interview.
She also said, “There’s no self-pity or shame in that. I need to keep working to win everyone over. Sure, it’s seldom that people win over everyone but I have aspirations to reach that level. I am working hard and I hope I do get there.” The actor made her debut as an actor with Dhadak in 2018. She has also starred in director Zoya Akhtar’s Ghost Stories, and Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.
Roohi is said to have been particularly challenging for the actor since Janvhi attempted a role involving comedy for the first time. Janhvi will reportedly be playing the role of a woman who is possessed by a spirit. The actor said Roohi had made her “let go of vanity” and helped her evolve as an artist.
Media reports quoted her as saying, “It’s an extremely cool, interesting role. The duality of the character gave me the opportunity to showcase and explore a lot. Playing this role opened me up as an actor. I had to push myself physically and vocally. Some scenes required me to push myself emotionally. My character Afza is a witch, so obviously you can’t be conscious of your vanity. The worst you look, the better it is for the character.”
Janhvi added, “The humour in the film is situational and fantastical. In the film, I had two comedic experts as company, in Rajkummar and Varun, who were aiding Hardik’s take on comedy. What I realised while working was that you don’t have to do anything extra to be comic.” The film also has Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma playing pivotal roles.
Talking about the difficulties she was experiencing during the lockdown in terms of career, Janhvi said she had been feeling restless and anxious. However, she also said the long period of being “switched off from work” also helped her focus on her mental health.
“That period was confusing. I was restless, anxious. There were so many plans, like the release of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, Roohi, I would’ve finished Dostana 2. The year taught me that you can’t rely on anything and things don’t always go according to the plan,” she was quoted as saying.
She further said, “I realised these things are transitory, what really matters is your family, your headspace because if you’re in the right headspace with nothing going on, you can be extremely happy. But with a wrong headspace, you can feel the worst despite everything going for you.”