Comparisons are inevitable: Ishaan and Janhvi Kapoor

Star kids Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khattar are okay with the comparisons that will be made with their film Dhadak and Marathi blockbuster Sairat. Janhvi is Sridevi and Boney Kapoor’s daughter while Ishaan is half-brother of Shahid Kapoor and son of Neelima Azim and Rajesh Khattar. “Comparisons are inevitable. But, I hope that I will be given a chance to establish my own identity and hope that I won’t disappoint people. There is lot of goodwill and I am very thankful for that,” says Janhvi on her visit to Lucknow. “I understand there is an attachment to Sairat so parallels will be drawn. But, Dhadak is also a special story and we have made it with heart so I am sure people will resonate with that,” she adds. Ishaan adds to it, “There are so many hopes from the audience and there will be some criticism too from those who are deeply attached to the original. Others may love this more so we are upbeat about it and hope audiences like it as much as we do.” Ishaan’s first work was as a voice-over child artiste. “My first remuneration was from my father while dubbing as child artiste in film Chota Chetan when I was just fiveyear-old,” he says. He has also assisted in two films and debuted in Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds.

NOT A REMAKE

Sairat was Marathi film that released in 2016 and earned ₹100 crore. “It’s not a remake. It’s an official adaptation but has been fitted into a culture which is different from the original. Story line and plot are similar but the characters, their motivation, language, context, actors and crew are different. The core message (caste and honour killing) of film remains similar as Shashank’s (Khaitan, director of Badri Ki Dhulania) intention to make this film was to take the message to a larger audience,” says Ishaan. “We all are in love with Sairat and this is a tribute to the original,” says Janhvi.

THOROUGH PREP

To get into the skin of character the actors visited Jaipur and Udaipur during recee days. “We interacted a lot with locals to understand class and social aspects besides Mewari culture. I got my ear pierced and even gained weight for the film,” says Ishaan. Janhvi too was ecstatic to explore the Rajasthani culture. “This is the beauty of acting that we get to know and learn new cultures. I had been to Rajasthan before but for the film I learnt about their culture and tradition. Eventually, it became our home away from home,” she says. The director stopped them from watching the original beyond a point. “We both have seen the film only twice as Shashank’s direction was not to see the film after a point so that our performances don’t get influenced,” says Ishaan.

IN LOVE WITH LUCKNOW

“We got a lot of love from people out here during our mall activity. We got a chance to interact with people. This is just our second outing after Jaipur. The response here has been wonderful and I am just in love with the city,” says Janhvi. She has been regularly updating her pictures from the city on her Twitter handle. The duo went on a city ride on Sunday evening. “We were able to see a bit of Bada Imambara which is fascinating. I wish we could have seen the Bhool Bhulaiya. The architecture here is very different from Jaipur but it’s beautiful,” says Ishaan.

I hope that I will be given a chance to establish my own identity and hope that I won’t disappoint people. There is lot of goodwill and I am very thankful for that JANHVI KAPOOR ACTOR We interacted a lot with locals to understand class and social aspects besides Mewari culture. I got my ear pierced and even gained weight for the film ISHAAN KHATTAR ACTOR

HT Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khattar in Lucknow