Bollywood actor, Janhvi Kapoor who is gearing up for the release of her upcoming Telugu film Peddi, recently opened up about her late mother, Sridevi’s legacy, her decision to prioritize family over stardom and the spaces she still feels closest to her.
In a conversation with Times Now, Janhvi Kapoor reflected back to the time she grew up with her mother, Sridevi. The actress admitted though she understood that her mother, Sridevi was a famous actress, she couldn’t really understand the magnitude of her stardom during that time.
When asked if she ever felt like she was living with a superstar, Janhvi said, “I wouldn’t say I was blissfully unaware, but I was criminally unaware. After everything she had done… She was an inherently shy person. She started working at the age of 4, so by the time she took the decision of committing herself to a domestic life, she wanted it to be a complete transformation.”
She added, “This was an aspect of mom I looked up to the most. If she decides to do something, she used to go into that lane completely. That’s how she looked at family life. Her self got erased and she put that chapter of her professional life behind her and concentrated solely on her duties as a mother and a wife. That’s what I was also exposed to, until we came of age and she returned back to her professional life.”
Janhvi Kapoor also recalled an emotional memory from the time Sridevi was shooting for English Vinglish. She said, “I remember when she was shooting English Vinglish. She scheduled the shoot of the film in a way that it coincided with our summer vacations. For some reason, they couldn’t match some schedule in New York, and she missed Khushi and Papa’s birthday. She was on the phone with us crying every day after pack-up for a week. You can’t imagine that this person is a megastar when the most important thing in her day is sadness about missing her kids’ birthday.”
Janhvi said Sridevi never carried the weight of her achievements at home and remained focused on keeping her family happy and cared for.
She shared, “Of course there was always a crowd wherever she went. We lived a very sheltered, privileged, and protected life, but she never carried the weight of whatever she has achieved. Her focus was getting a good pomfret fish with chutney, to make it for her family. Her favourite thing was to put oil on papa’s head and give a massage hoping some hair would finally start growing, but he had to get a transplant eventually.”
She added that one piece of advice from Sridevi has always stayed with her.
Janhvi said, “But, one thing that she said always stayed with me, ‘You can never lie to the camera.’ If you are a good person, then all of your performances will connect on one level or another. She used to tell that I need to work on being a good and honest person first, and then only it will show in your performance.”
The actress further revealed how people constantly compare her with her mother. Speaking on this Janhvi said, “Let’s be pragmatic. I don’t think I am being compared to a level where people expect me to be as good as Sridevi; it’s a fact that no one can be her. The comparison is more in the tonality of ‘Can she live upto what her mother created?’ I think even that is an impossibility. My endeavour is just to honour her legacy, do what I can to take it forward. I am just grateful for the opportunities that I get because it makes me happy, and it keeps her memory alive as well.”
Janhvi Kapoor, got emotional while recalling the times she spent with her mother, Sridevi, stating that it’s a pain that will never fade away.
“It’s never not going to hurt. If you ask me, I would say I’m not in denial. But it’s so funny, I sometimes have these dreams where it feels like she has gone on a trip and is coming back. In my dream, that is a reality.” she said.
She shared, “I feel the most connected to her in two places, one is when I am in front of the camera, which is why it means so much to me. And when I go to Tirupati, which is why I do it too much. That’s why I am so obsessive and hyper about being on the sets, and trying to take that flight to go to Tirupati. It’s when I feel most at peace, most connected, and when I can hear myself and maybe her also a little bit.”
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