Actor Janhvi Kapoor has opened up about the controversy surrounding her role in Telugu film Peddi, saying she should have been more assertive in expressing her discomfort with the sexualisation and problematic portrayal of her character.
The Buchi Babu Sana directorial, released in June, sparked a conversation about objectification of women on screen, with several viewers criticising the way Janhvi Kapoor's character, Achiyamma, is depicted through repeated close-up shots and suggestive camera angles.
Buchi later issued an apology and said they will make changes in the movie that featured Janhvi alongside Ram Charan.
Janhvi has addressed the issue on Koffee with Karan, where she was a guest alongside actor Varun Dhawan.
"I feel many people worked really hard on that film and I really didn't know if there was anything to say. It weighs heavily on my conscience the sort of negative impact a narrative like that can have on our society. Specific to my gender. That shame I will always carry with me," Janhvi said.
"Could I have done more? Could I have been more vigilant? 100% yes. Was it problematic, was it extreme objectification? Did it even propagate sexual assault narratively? Yes. But the only thing I can do is ensure that it doesn't happen again," she added.
Reflecting on the filming process, the 29-year-old actor said she tried to address her discomfort during the shooting as she became aware of how the scenes were being presented, but accepts that she should have challenged these decisions forcefully.
"I went through the beats of really beating up myself that I should have been more vigilant. I don't like saying this because it sounds like I am shifting blame, but it's like you listen to the director and what he says. I was navigating how to make things less problematic as and when information was becoming available to me," she said.
The actor, who is the daughter of late Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, went on to state that she should have taken advantage of the privilege that came with her position in the film industry to raise concerns more assertively.
"In the south, very rarely there is a bound script. Very rarely do you see the camera angles. I do come from a place of privilege. I should have taken advantage of that because I am going to get the s*** for being privileged anyway. So, I might as well have leveraged it," she said.
"It was a violating experience in a way. The good thing that came out of it is that maybe next time a director will rethink twice before presenting a lead actress this way," she added.
Set in the 1980s rural Andhra Pradesh, the film, starring Ram Charan and Kapoor, follows the journey of a lower-caste villager who turns to wrestling to win recognition and dignity for his community.
