Janhvi Kapoor
recently surprised the internet when opened up on
casteism
and the ideological debate between Mahatma
Gandhi
and BR
Ambedkar
. While some appreciated Janhvi for her efforts to become more aware, others dismissed it as a
PR activity
. The ‘Mr and Mrs Mahi’ actress has now addressed the matter.
During her conversation with Speaking to Mashable, Janhvi expressed her surprise at the reaction she received, questioning why it was so hard to believe that a young female actor could have an opinion.
The actress mentioned that people claimed the entire conversation was a ‘PR plug’ and explained that she had made her comments casually during an interview. Afterward, she asked her PR team if she had said something wrong, and they indicated that the Ambedkar vs Gandhi debate point might be controversial.
Janhvi then panicked, fearing it might negatively impact the movie’s release. Her PR team contacted the organization that conducted the interview to request the removal of that part, but their request was denied. Ironically, despite her PR’s attempt to remove the controversial segment, people believed it was a deliberate PR stunt.
Janhvi added that spending time with filmmaker
Neeraj Ghaywan
, who is from a Dalit community, sparked curiosity about class and caste issues in India. She mentioned learning from his experiences and stories, which motivated her to read Ambedkar’s “Annihilation of Caste.” This book profoundly changed her perspective on life.
Janhvi went on to say that, as a Hindu, she knows very little about her own culture. Despite living on a street named after Ambedkar, she realized she knows almost nothing about his history, and expressed that she should be ashamed of this.
Meanwhile, Janhvi Kapoor was
hospitalized
for severe food poisoning. Her father,
Boney Kapoor
, confirmed to ETimes that Janhvi was discharged from South Mumbai’s HN Reliance Hospital, where she received treatment. The actress is now recovering and back at home.
