I DO FEEL BULLIED AT TIMES SAYS JANHVI

Janhvi Kapoor says that to stay grounded, she often checks comments about her on social media

Janhvi Kapoor’s Bollywood debut — Dhadak, a remake of a Marathi film Sairat — is highly anticipated. It’s so not only because she is a filmi kid, but also for the sudden death of her mother, the legendary Sridevi, the late actor’s fans are eager to watch her daughter’s movie.

The 21-year-old talks her debut film, her reason behind reading comments about her on social media, and how it felt going back to work almost immediately after the demise of her mother.

Is there a kind of pressure you are facing around your debut.

It’s kind of like you are in an arena, on a podium. You are just standing there, watching people point fingers, judge and dissect you, but you have to keep a smile on your face and pretend to enjoy it. But getting the opportunity to do this film is more than I could ever have asked for. I can only hope to win people over with my work.

You went back to shooting a few days after your mother passed away. Was it tough?

Yeah, but I don’t want to feel sorry for myself. Now that I think about it, if this had happened to someone else, I’d go, “poor thing”. But because I have lived it, there wasn’t even a second where I felt, “s**t, this is hard” or “I feel targeted”, because I was so blessed to be on that set every day. I was like, ‘thank God, I have my work to come back to’. Otherwise there was no coming out of that.

This film also comes at a time when the nepotism debate is on. Do you feel the wrath of it?

I underestimated how angry people are. They are pissed off. But I can’t judge. I can understand where their frustration is coming from. It must be hard. I do feel cornered and bullied at times. [But] I feel a responsibility towards them as well. I understand that you feel like you have been robbed of an opportunity that has been handed to me. I’m sure there are people who are more talented than me, and better looking than me, but I am not going to pass on this opportunity. It’s a big deal for me. It is wrong and messed up if I take advantage of it. I know I need to work ten times harder because there is a stigma attached to how I’ve got this opportunity.

Do you read comments about you on YouTube and Instagram?

I do, oh God, I do. Everyone tells me not to. But I don’t want to be one of those delusional people who think they are doing everything right and everything’s going good. When I read these comments, I am like, ‘S**t, I’m really the scum of the earth!’ Social media make us all faceless, and you don’t get called out for trolling. I think it is shitty that some websites are encouraging negativity and frustration in people. [I feel like telling them,] ‘just be chill. Have some ice cream’.

I don’t want to be one of those delusional people who think they are doing everything right and everything’s going good. When I read these comments, I am like, ‘S**t, I’m really the scum of the earth!

JANHVI KAPOOR ACTOR

Janhvi Kapoor says, had it not been for her film, there was no coming out from the trauma of her mother, Sridevi’s death