Actor Janhvi Kapoor has opened up about the subtle gender dynamics she faces in the film industry. Appearing on the latest episode of Two Much With Twinkle and Kajol, alongside filmmaker Karan Johar, the Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari star shared how she sometimes downplays her intelligence or capability to avoid clashing with male egos.
‘I Have Pretended To Be Dumb’: Janhvi Kapoor
Janhvi admitted that despite her privileged background, she often finds herself navigating sensitive male egos on set and during discussions.
“I understand that I am coming from a place of privilege in my work environment. But I feel for me it’s been (about) navigating egos, male egos,” she said.
She further explained, “If I have an opinion, recently, I am in rooms where I can say what I want without feeling the need to tiptoe around. But I have been in rooms and situations where I kind of need to precede someone and pretend to be dumb. You need to pick your battles and manoeuvre how you need to put your point across without rubbing anyone the wrong way.”
Twinkle Khanna, who co-hosts the show with Kajol, related to Janhvi’s experience and said she too had faced similar challenges in the 1990s. “I had the same problem when I was young, and I never understood the need to be diplomatic,” Twinkle shared.
Expanding on her point, Janhvi spoke about choosing when to voice her opinions. “I am still picking my battles. I know this doesn’t make sense, but I will let it go, and on the next one, I will tell them what I feel. But I need to tell them 10 nice things and pretend I am not capable enough to perform this way, just because I think it’s too politically incorrect to perform the scene in this way. I will just say, ‘mujhe samajh nahi aa raha’, instead of saying this is f***ed up!”
Janhvi’s Recent Work
Janhvi was last seen in Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, a romantic comedy featuring Varun Dhawan, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf. The slice-of-life entertainer, directed by Shashank Khaitan, has reportedly grossed over ₹100 crore worldwide, as confirmed by its production banner, Dharma Productions.