Koffee With Karan 9: Janhvi Kapoor calls Peddi a “violating experience”, admits “extreme objectification” was problematic; says, “I was so apprehensive to talk about it because…”
Janhvi Kapoor has addressed the controversy surrounding her portrayal of Achiyamma in Peddi, admitting that she continues to reflect on her role in a film that faced criticism over the treatment of her character. Speaking on the latest episode of Koffee With Karan Season 9, the actor acknowledged concerns around objectification and the film’s portrayal of sexual assault, while also saying that she wishes she had spoken up more strongly during the making of the film.
Directed by Buchi Babu Sana and headlined by Ram Charan, Peddi released in theatres on June 4, 2026. Following its release, the film faced criticism over the way Janhvi’s character was presented, with particular attention on camera shots focusing on her body and a romantic sequence that audiences questioned for its treatment of consent.
Janhvi Kapoor says she takes responsibility for her part
Reflecting on the controversy, Janhvi said, “I felt many things, Karan. I think the reason I was so apprehensive to talk about it was because many people worked very hard on that film. I really didn’t know what to say or if there was anything really to say. But it’s important that I take ownership for my half of whatever that fiasco was because it weighs heavily on my conscience, the sort of negative impact a narrative like that can have on our society, specific to my gender.”
She went on to question whether she could have done more to challenge how her character was portrayed. “Could I have done more? Could I have been more vigilant? Could I have made a bigger scene? A hundred percent, yes. Was it problematic? Was it extreme objectification? Did it even propagate sexual assault narratively? Yes,” she said.
Janhvi added that her focus now is on ensuring that she does not find herself in a similar situation again. “The only thing I can do is to ensure that that doesn’t happen again. I went through the beats of really beating myself up. I should have been more vigilant. I should have made a bigger scene,” she added.
Janhvi explains the challenges she faced during filming
The actor also spoke about the dynamics of working on a film where she said, “I don’t like saying this because it sounds like I’m shifting blame. But you know what it’s like, you feel like whatever the director says, be professional, listen to the director. So I was really navigating how to make things less problematic as best I thought, as and when information was becoming available to me.”
She further said, “In the South, there very rarely is a bound script. And very rarely in those scripts do you see where the camera angles are.”
At the same time, Janhvi reiterated that she believes she could have used her position to speak up more.
“Having said that, I need to also take responsibility for my half of it. I do come from a place of privilege. I should have taken advantage of that because I’m going to get the criticism for being privileged anyway. So I might as well have leveraged it,” she said.
Janhvi calls the experience “violating”
When Karan Johar asked whether she felt disappointed at the time or believed the filmmaker had not intended for things to unfold that way, Janhvi described the experience as violating. “No, I feel like I get so conscious when I speak about this because I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to be the victim here. I mean, it was a violating experience in a way,” she said.
Janhvi also revealed that she had expressed her discomfort during the filming process and even during post-production. “I feel like both of you have sort of been with me through the beats of me trying to articulate discomfort throughout the course of shooting, even post-production,” she told Karan and Varun Dhawan, who was also part of the conversation.
Janhvi hopes the controversy leads to change
Despite the difficult experience, Janhvi said she hopes the conversation around Peddi could make filmmakers think more carefully about how female characters are presented on screen.
“The good thing that came out of all of this is that maybe tomorrow someone else will think twice before they present a lead actress this way,” she said.
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