Janhvi Kapoor: 100% yes, she should have been more vigilant
Janhvi Kapoor opens up on Koffee with Karan about Peddi backlash, calling the role extreme objectification and acknowledging it propagated sexual assault.
What Janhvi said on Koffee with Karan
Months after Peddi’s release, Janhvi Kapoor finally addressed the objectification debate around her character Achiyamma. Speaking on Koffee with Karan, she said the criticism weighs heavily on her conscience, particularly the impact that kind of narrative could have on women.
She did not hide behind the director’s choices. Asked whether she could have been more vigilant, she answered “100% yes.” She also called the portrayal “extreme objectification” and acknowledged that it propagated sexual assault within the story.
Janhvi explained that she had been trying to make scenes less problematic as information became available to her. She added that she should have used her privilege more, and described the experience as “a violating experience in a way.”
The backlash around Peddi
Peddi, the Buchi Babu Sana-directed sports drama, opened on June 4 with Ram in the title role and Janhvi as his love interest Achiyamma. Soon after release, viewers objected to the hypersexualised introduction of her character and a scene where Peddi kisses Achiyamma without her consent during a power cut.
Buchi Babu Sana responded on X, apologised for any unintended disrespect towards women, and confirmed that the concerned portions would be changed.
Why her admission matters
A lead actor publicly naming the potential harm in her own film is still rare in Bollywood. Janhvi’s comments move the conversation beyond a director’s apology and into the actor’s own responsibility around consent and representation.
- She admitted the role could have a negative social impact, especially on women.
- She called the framing “extreme objectification” rather than defending it.
- She pledged to prevent a similar situation in the future.
For fans, her statement lands differently than a studio note. It names the exact discomfort many viewers felt while watching Achiyamma’s introduction, and it treats that discomfort as valid rather than as overreaction. In an industry where post-release criticism is often dismissed, that validation matters.
The timing also gives the apology more weight. Buchi Babu Sana had already acted on the feedback, but Janhvi’s belated response keeps the issue in the conversation months later, when the news cycle around an old release usually fades.
The process gap she named
Janhvi described a larger structural problem: on many sets, there is no bound script and no clear look at camera angles in advance. An actor who is told to follow the director may only realise how a scene is being framed after it is shot. She said she was navigating with the information she had, but that she should have pushed harder and used her privilege.
This is not simply an excuse; it explains why the same conversation repeats across films. If actors do not see the visual grammar until it is too late, the only reliable fix is to ask more questions at the reading and rehearsal stage.
What changes now
Janhvi said the only thing she can do is make sure it does not happen again. She hopes a director will think twice before presenting a lead actress this way. The film’s team has already started altering the contested portions, but the larger test is whether upcoming films act on these conversations at the script and camera-angle stage, before a scene reaches the edit.
Source: Hindustan Times
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