Janhvi Kapoor Owns Responsibility for Peddi Portrayal

Mumbai, October 29: Janhvi Kapoor has opened up about the criticism surrounding her portrayal in 'Peddi', acknowledging that she should have been more vigilant on set.

During a recent episode of 'Koffee With Karan', where she appeared with Varun Dhawan, the actress spoke candidly about the backlash over the objectification of her character in the sports drama.

Janhvi did not avoid the topic. Instead, she said the controversy might make the industry more considerate toward actresses who are uncomfortable with certain elements of their roles.

"I'm happy my portrayal in 'Peddi' became such a major point of discussion. Perhaps the next time an actress says she feels uneasy, people won't see her as someone strange," she said.

The actress revealed that she had hesitated to comment, as the project involved the hard work of many people. Still, she felt it was necessary to take responsibility.

The 'Dhadak' actress said, "I really didn't know what to say or whether I should speak at all. But I felt a heavy weight about how such things can negatively affect our society, particularly women, and I felt it was important to take ownership of what happened."

She expressed shame over the potential impact on society and said she feels she could have been more careful.

"Could I have done something else? Could I have been more alert? Could I have objected strongly? Yes, definitely. Was it problematic? Was it too much objectification? Did it, in a way, encourage sexual harassment? Yes."

Janhvi said she had asked herself many times whether she should have protested more forcefully during filming.

"I don't want to say this, because it may sound like I am passing the blame, but you know how things work. Directors say what they want, and you have to stay professional and listen to them. So as I learned more, I was trying to make things as less problematic as I understood how to."