Janhvi Kapoor: “We’ve lost mom & I don’t think that’s a loss any of us will ever get over”
Janhvi Kapoor has not spoken much since the sudden demise of her mother Sridevi on a tragic night back in February. Kapoor, who makes her debut with ‘Dhadak’ in July, has given her first interview after leaving Sridevi in Dubai before her “accidental drowning”.
The interview was conducted by Karan Johar in fashion magazine, Vogue India. Incidentally, ‘Dhadak’ is also helmed by Johar.
Johar started off asking Kapoor about whether she knew all the stories about her mother’s debut in films at the age of four. She said, “Those were my bedtime stories. Her whacked-out experiences. You know, in the ’80s and ’90s, when actors would do multiple shifts working simultaneously on different films? So she was doing three movies with the same director, who was also the actor. They were in Ooty and he decided to shoot songs for all three films together. He’d do a scene, then cut and walk to the next location and the entire cast and crew would follow. At one point, he does a shot, starts walking and, suddenly, he’s behind a tree taking a piss, and the entire cast and crew is there, watching. He was just walking, and everyone assumed they were going to the next location! Mum was in all the films, and she’d figure out which film they were shooting for by his wigs, which would change for each role.”
Johar pointed out that he gets emotional to see how the family has got closer and tighter after Sridevi’s passing. Kapoor responded by saying, “It’s made us feel safe and secure. I think, even for Papa, it’s a source of comfort. It’s definitely tied us together. We’ve lost mom and I don’t think that’s a loss any of us will ever get over.”
She was also asked about how she feels about comparisons being made with her newcomers that will be launched this year. She said, “Of course, but I want to be the debut. But it comes from an honest, sincere place. I want to be able to experience every character I play. Mom always told me, it’s not the kind of role or movie you do, you need to make an impression—that’s an actor’s job. She never encouraged emotions like jealousy or frustration. We’re very capable of being happy for others.”
Johar also mentioned that Sridevi had watched about 25 minutes of footage from ‘Dhadak’ before her passing away, asked what she said to Janhvi about the portions that were filmed, she said, “She was very technical about it. The first thing she told me was the things I needed to improve—she felt the mascara was smudged and it really bothered her. The second half has to be different, she told me, “You can’t wear anything on your face.” That’s all she told me, but she was happy.”
