After the initials hellos, Janhvi Kapoor makes herself comfortable in the chair and asks us if we’ve seen the trailers and wants our feedback. Then she asks; “Do I come across like a snob in the trailers ‘coz that’s the way my character is in the film.”
She’s calm and composed and way mature and wiser than her age. Soft-spoken and gentle that’s Janhvi Kapoor. In a conversation with HotFridayTalks, she tells us all about her debut film Dhadak and more.
EXCERPTS:
So did Karan Johar give you a call one fine day and say he’s casting you for the film?
(She laughs) “I am not so cool also that Karan would call me and just cast me. He had actually seen me and then I had to audition, he gave me some dialogues and monologues etc. and he would make me read them out. That was the time he was probably deciding whether he should invest his time on me. After a series of all those, I was told that Dhadak is a prospect and they were thinking of me and then I met Shashank, I did a test look and readings with him and waited for them to call me back for a confirmation and that’s how it went.”
What was the kind of preparations that you had to do for the film?
“We went to Jaipur and Udaipur and met these families who had converted their palaces into heritage hotels, met them understood their lifestyle and we also actually met a girl called Parthvi whose family had converted their house into a heritage hotel. She is a strong, ambitious woman who is divorced but she runs her family business successfully.”
How was it working with Ishaan Khattar?
“Ishaan is a talented, energetic, and very dedicated person. It was a lot of fun working with him and it was a great learning experience.”
Did you feel some kind of a pressure while shooting the film, considering the fact that this is your debut film?
“While shooting there was not much pressure at all but now that the film is nearing and we are in the midst of promoting the film, I feel the responsibility especially since Sairat was such an important film and also the responsibility of how the people have given my mother and my family so much love. So I need to make them happy and need to make them proud.”
Can you narrate any memorable moments while shooting the film?
“Udaipur schedule was very special, it had become like home for all of us. One of the days we packed up early and we had a 3-hour break before the night shoot, so Ishaan and I sneaked out on a bike ride in spite of my father and Shashank telling us not to ride a bike. We took the bike around Udaipur, Shashank was setting up for the night shoot at the town square near a temple where we were to shoot and we were not aware, we took the drove the bike right there and there was nowhere to hide as we had to cross that path so we ducked and hid our faces and drove through without being caught. That was so much fun!”
“I was very passionate about it, that was the only thing I knew and wanted to be. I was so obsessed with acting that I had started thinking very far; things like I need to sleep on time so that I can wake up on time so that I look fresh because if two years down the line I am in a movie then I should look good! That was the level of thinking I did much before I was anywhere close to becoming an actress! (She laughs!) I think my parents saw that obsession in me and both of them gave their approval.”
What attracted you to acting since your parents never wanted you to get into acting?
“What attracted me to be an actress is that we actors have the power over an audience to make them feel things and move them and help them experience worlds, that maybe they would have never had the opportunity to experience. It induces a lot of self-growth too. I have learnt so much playing Parthavi in Dhadak. Living her journey, I’ve seen things and I’ve felt things that Janhvi would have never had the opportunity to feel. It has widened my horizon as a human being.”
Image Credit: Twitter
Or Did you want to become an actress because your mother is an actress?
“That was the fear that maybe that is the only thing I know that’s why I want to be an actor. I wanted to do a history course, a course on fashion but then I finally went to LA to do an acting course and I knew that was where I belonged. Just because my mother is an actor maybe I am inclined to it but that doesn’t mean I am not dedicated and focused. I know that my love for cinema is coming from a place like it’s in my blood so I am not insecure of my intention at all.”
How about your younger sister Khushi, does she want to act too?
“Khushi is also very passionate about films and acting as well but what she wants to do with her life I want to give her the freedom to choose her life and speak about it.”
How about a film with all the Kapoors together? That would be fun, wouldn’t it?
“If all of us Kapoors do a film together it will be a disaster; first of all it will never be completed and secondly, it might just go over budget by 10 thousand crores and probably only we will be sitting in the theatre to watch it!”
Was Dhadak the first offer that came your way or was there other films?
“There were many other film offers before Dhadak but I think Dhadak chose me! This story is a special story and to experience it as an artist and to tell it to the audience was an honour. I am thankful it picked me.”
You’re playing a young mother in your very first film, how did that feel?
“The last leg of the shoot where we shot the scenes with the child and there is a feeling being maternal with a child. Before playing a mother in this film, I wasn’t very fond of children but after playing a mother, I feel very maternal towards children in general and it’s a very funny feeling because I felt somehow closer to my mom when I was doing those scenes. Maybe the only time the feeling of loss might be easier for me is when I become a mother myself. I felt a glimpse of that.”
“It’s definitely Khushi, she’s the one who mothers me more. (Smiles)”
Anil, Arjun, Sonam, Harshvardhan, which of the Kapoors would you love to do a film with?
“I think I would love to do a film with Anil ‘chachu’.”
Which one of your mom’s films is your favourite?
“Mr India, English Vinglish, Sadma, Roop Ki Rani and Mom. But out of all, I love Sadma the most.”
Did your mother get to see some parts of the film?
“My mom saw about 20 minutes of the rushes and she said a lot of sweet things and that is very special to me.” (She takes a pause and fights back her tears when she speaks about her mother and I almost want to kick myself for asking her that, since I know the painful feeling of losing one’s mother myself). “But she never wanted to impart any of her advice or choices as an actor on me as far as playing Parthvi was concerned. She wanted me to find this on my own. She was very scared of comparisons and she wanted me to create my own identity.”
We’re sure you’re going to make your parents and your family extremely proud and you are already on your way to making your own identity! You have your heart in the right place girl!
Here’s wishing the talented Janhvi Kapoor, the girl with the prettiest eyes ever; All the Best for her debut film.
