Loading dispatches...
← Return to Newsroomgeneral
Janhvi Kapoor on stepping outside her comfort zone for Peddi: I think its pretty cool
Breaking
Kyiv bridge hit in further drone attack as German chancellor makes surprise visit
Janhvi Kapoor in Peddi.Janhvi Kapoor memorised her Telugu lines, walked into a scene she was terrified of, and came out the other side with a story she says she will pass on to her children. In a recent interview, Janhvi reflected on Peddi, the director she trusted completely, and what Sridevi taught her without ever meaning to. Trusting the director Buchi Babu Sana made his directorial debut with Uppena in 2021, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. For Janhvi Kapoor, that track record mattered. When the question of creative control came up during an interaction with Beyond the Brief by District Movies, she was clear about where the final word rests. “The director obviously gets the final word because he is the one that 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,” said Janhvi.In Peddi, set against the backdrop of 1980s rural Andhra Pradesh, the actor plays a character named Achiyyamma in a story about a spirited villager who unites his community through sports to defend their pride against a powerful rival. It is a significant departure from anything she has played before, and she knew it going in. Performing in Telugu, in front of a crowd One of the most striking moments Janhvi Kapoor described from the shoot was not a technically demanding scene but a deeply human one. There were two instances in the film where her character addresses a large crowd. The lines were in Telugu, a language she does not speak natively, and she had memorised the monologue to deliver on set. Also Read: Janhvi Kapoor called Buchi Babu Sana India’s ‘most rowdy director’ before Peddi backlash “When I delivered my monologue, everyone in the crowd started clapping,” she said, adding, “because I think even they were surprised that I mugged up the lines and performed it. So that was a very tangible visual validation.” Her mother’s stories, now her own Janhvi Kapoor has spoken before about growing up in the shadow of Sridevi’s extraordinary dedication to her craft. Sridevi worked across Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada films over a career that spanned five decades. The stories that circulated about her on-set commitment became part of the family mythology that Janhvi grew up with.Story continues below this ad “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 sort of always glorified that work ethic and tried to stick by it,” she said. What is new now is that Janhvi Kapoor is beginning to accumulate her own versions of those stories. “I’ve collected some such stories of myself now that I’ll be happy to pass on to my kids,” she said. There is something quietly significant in that. It is the first time she has spoken about that inheritance not as something she is trying to live up to, but as something she is beginning to build for herself. The scene she almost could not believe When asked whether there was a moment in Peddi when she watched herself on screen and did not quite recognise the person she was seeing, Janhvi Kapoor pointed to her entry scene. “I think in my entry scene in Peddi, because I was so nervous, as it was a departure from all the characters that I played. I was like, will I be able to pull it off? But when I see the scene now, I think it is pretty cool,” she said. Peddi, directed by Buchi Babu Sana, released on June 4. It also stars Ram Charan, Shivarajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, and Divyendu Sharma in pivotal roles.
Peddi box office collection day 4: Ram Charan film eyes Rs 250 crore mark worldwide.Peddi Box Office Collection Day 4 Worldwide Live Updates: Despite a major controversy around oversexualisation of its female lead and mixed reviews, Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor’s latest action sports drama Peddi has been performing exceptionally at the box office, since its release. On Sunday, Peddi minted Rs 31.90 crore running across 9,068 shows, after earning Rs 26.90 crore on Friday and Rs 28.85 on Saturday. With this, the film’s total India gross stands at Rs 187.02 crore, while its India net collection has reached Rs 157.15 crore. Worldwde, the movie has earned over Rs 230 crore. On Day 4, the movie recorded an overall occupancy of 43.15% – with morning shows at 43.15%, afternoon shows at 71.77%, evening shows at 74.08% and night shows at 53.46%. Hyderabad region registered 45% occupancy across 685 shows, while Bangalore had 34% occupancy in 464 shows.Story continues below this ad The film is also facing competition from other theatrical releases, including Varun Dhawan’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, Hollywood horror thriller Obsession, and Bobby Deol starrer Bandar. Meanwhile, Peddi has also been making headlines over the controversy surrounding certain scenes featuring Janhvi Kapoor. A section of the audience criticised the film for what they described as the objectification of her character. Following the backlash, director Buchi Babu Sana issued a public apology and confirmed that the contentious portions of the film would be modified. “As a filmmaker, I believe cinema should entertain, inspire, and connect with audiences. It should never make anyone feel uncomfortable or disrespected. We have heard the feedback regarding certain scenes in Peddi and have taken it seriously. I have always had immense respect for women, both on and off screen, and it was never our intention to objectify or disrespect any female character. If any part of the film has been perceived that way, we respect those sentiments, understand the concerns being raised, and sincerely apologize,” he wrote on X. Live Blog
Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor in a still from Peddi.The controversy around Janhvi Kapoor‘s portrayal in Peddi has been building since the film’s first show on Thursday. By Saturday, it had pulled in voices from within the Telugu film industry itself, sharing their two cents on the issue. ‘Blame the system, not the actress’ Dimple Hayathi, who has appeared in Telugu films, many with actor Ravi Teja, posted one of the most detailed and direct responses to emerge from within the industry on X. “I’m so glad today on this day we all are speaking about how actresses roles are being written and the instinctive response to blame actress after doing what she was offered,” she wrote. “Don’t blame the actress. Blame the system and makers who really think that’s what sells.”She went further, describing the structural conditions that define what is available to actresses trying to build careers in the industry. “We actors get to work within the opportunities what we get trying to make it big and hoping we would be working in bigger films and reach wider audiences. If the characters are underwritten the responsibility lies more with writing and filmmaking choices than the woman playing the role.” Hayathi also addressed how actresses are reduced to the characters they play, regardless of what they are actually capable of. “Unfortunately we are stereotyped by image which and how things unfold with characters that we play without getting the opportunity to showcase our full potential to perform, whereas when the hero centered stories takeover the liberty to project.” I’m so glad today on this day we all are speaking about how actresses roles are being written and the instinctive response to blame actress after doing what she was offered ,dont blame the actress blame the system and makers who really think that’s what sells .. and we actors get… — Dimple Hayathi (@DimpleHayathi) June 6, 2026 Ashika Ranganath, a Kannada actress who has appeared in several Telugu productions, posted a statement that covered similar ground in fewer words. “Don’t blame the actress. Blame the system and the makers who still think this is what sells. Actors often work within the opportunities available to them, hoping to be part of bigger films and reach wider audiences,” she wrote. ‘Cinema is reflection of society’ Anasuya Bharadwaj, actress and former host of ETV’s Jabardasth, took a different line. In a detailed multi-slide post on Instagram on Saturday, she argued, “Cinema has always reflected society but i do not believe it should be burdened with sole responsibility of raising or educating it,” She acknowledged that films are powerful and influence behaviour, perceptions and conversations, but said the responsibility for distinguishing right from wrong also lies with audiences, families and broader social structures. She clarified she was not calling for censorship or moral policing, but for a more thoughtful, shared awareness between creators and audiences. She also reflected on her own career, writing that speaking her mind on such issues had sometimes created professional difficulties for her, but that she had stood by her beliefs regardless. Also Read: Peddi director Buchi Babu addresses intense backlash over Janhvi Kapoor scenesStory continues below this ad “Creative freedom is essential, equally essential is the awareness that freedom and responsibility can co-exist. Perharps the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Not expecting films to parent society, but not pretending they have no influence either.” The post was widely read as a defence of the filmmakers, though Anasuya did not frame it that way. Responses online were divided, with some praising the nuance and others arguing it avoided the specificity of what had actually been shown on screen. What started all of this Peddi, directed by Buchi Babu Sana and starring Ram Charan alongside Janhvi Kapoor, released on Thursday. But within hours of the first shows
Discussion (0)