- Janhvi Kapoor trusted director Buchi Babu Sana's creative vision in Peddi
- Janhvi's entry scene in Peddi marked a departure from her previous roles
- She memorised Telugu lines and received applause for her monologue delivery
Janhvi Kapoor, whose hyper‑sexualized portrayal in the film Peddi drew the internet's ire and prompted the director to change scenes, recently said she trusted the director's vision and collected stories she hopes to pass on to her children.
Being a director's actor
Buchi Babu Sana made his directorial debut with Uppena in 2021, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu.
Asked about the director's creative vision during a chat with Beyond the Brief by District Movies, Janhvi Kapoor said, “The director obviously gets the final word because he is the one who says cut. And especially when it is a director like Buchi Babu Sana, who has a track record of making such amazing, rooted work like Uppena.”
When asked if there was a scene she could take pride in, Janhvi pointed to her entry scene.
“I think in my entry scene in Peddi, I was so nervous because it was a departure from all the characters I'd played. I wondered, will I be able to pull it off? But when I see the scene now, I think it's pretty cool,” she said.
Memorised Telugu to address audience
There were a few scenes in the film where Janhvi addressed the masses in Telugu. Telugu is not her native tongue, but she didn't let that affect her performance.
“When I delivered my monologue, everyone in the crowd started clapping,” she said, adding, “I think even they were surprised that I'd mugged up the lines and performed them. So that was a very tangible, visual validation," she said.
Living up to mother's legacy
Janhvi Kapoor's mother, the late actor Sridevi, had a prolific five-decade career across Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada cinema. Growing up in her mother's shadow, Janhvi was fed stories from that career which became a treasure trove.
“I've grown up on stories of my mother saying, ‘Oh, I shot this rain song with a 104 fever' or ‘danced until my feet bled.' I've always glorified that work ethic and tried to stick by it,” she said.
“I've collected some such stories of myself now that I'll be happy to pass on to my kids,” Janhvi added, as she actively pursues more such stories.
In Peddi, Ram Charan plays the titular character and Janhvi plays his love interest, Achiyyamma. The filmmakers faced major flak for problematic scenes in which Peddi forcefully kisses Achiyyamma and later presents it as romance.
Later, the director apologised and said the objectionable scenes would be removed.
The film continues its stellar run at the box office.