Janhvi Kapoor has opened up about the controversy surrounding Peddi, acknowledging the concerns over the film’s portrayal of women. During a recent episode of Koffee With Karan (KWK), the actress reflected
on the criticism, her own responsibility and whether she could have done more to address the concerns.
Janhvi said she had been apprehensive about discussing the controversy because several people had worked hard on the film. However, she eventually felt the need to acknowledge her part in the situation and the potential impact of the film’s narrative on society, particularly women.
“I felt many things. The reason I was so apprehensive to talk about it was because people worked very hard on that film. I really did not know what to say, if there was any need of it even. It is important that I need to take ownership for my half of whatever that fiasco was because it weighs heavily on my conscience, the sort of negative impact a narrative like that can have on our society, specific to my gender,” she said.
“I think that shame I’ll always carry with me: could I have done more? Could I have been more vigilant? Could I have made a bigger scene? A hundred percent yes. Was it problematic? Was it extreme objectification? Did it even propagate sexual assault, narratively? Yes,” the actress continued.
“The only thing I could do is to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. I feel like I went through the beats of really beating myself up that I should have been more vigilant, I should have made a bigger scene. I don’t like saying this because it sounds like I am shifting the blame, but you know what it feels like? You feel like whatever the director says I was navigating how to make things less problematic as best as I thought as and when information was becoming available to me,” Janhvi shared.
She then added, “I do come from a place of privilege. I should have taken advantage of that because I am going to get the shit for being privileged anyway. So, I might as well have leveraged it.”
Describing her experience during the shoot, Janhvi stated, “It was a violating experience in a way.” She also admitted that she experienced “discomfort throughout shooting”. When asked about people discussing the controversy on the internet, Janhvi responded, “I am glad.”
What Was The Controversy?
The controversy erupted over the film’s portrayal of women, with viewers raising concerns about extreme objectification and a narrative that was perceived as potentially normalising sexual assault. Soon after the film hit theatres, netizens came out slamming the objectification of Janhvi Kapoor’s character. Later, film’s director Buchi Babu Sana also reacted to the controversy and told SCREEN, “I had not anticipated that the scenes would be perceived so negatively by audiences. We’ll be more careful and make better representations.” The scenes were then changed from the film.
