JANHVI Kapoor, looking prettier than in the Dhadak posters, sat beside me at a conference table in an empty Dharma Productions office. She was doing interviews for the film. It was just 10 am. Mine was the first. She was freshly showered and looked intrigued, even amused, at the attention she was getting. Naturally, she’s just turned 21. Dhadak has been produced by Zee Studios and Dharma. But Karan Johar has not directed it. Shashank Khaitan has. I’ve only heard good things about him. And the film, of course. Janhvi was wearing loose white palazzos and a green chikan embroidered kurta. Comfortably dressed for another roomful of media persons waiting to interview her through the day. She tucked her feet up and swung on the swivel chair happily. While I asked my questions, she drummed on the table with nails that were chipped but not bitten, and sipped water out of a pink bottle with bling. And when she answered, I saw a young Sridevi in Janhvi. She giggled infectiously, explained with her hands, and spoke volumes through large chocolate brown smoky eyes that were as expressive as they were emotive. I wanted to reach out and hug her.

"I am Sridevi’s daughter but I don’t think anyone can have anything on her or share any similar qualities"

Excerpts from an interview:

Q. You studied acting at Lee Strasberg. Why? You’ve got Sridevi’s genes!

A. How can I take that for granted? I have Sridevi’s genes in me doesn’t mean that I’m anything like her. Talent is something you need to work on. You need to hone it and discover for yourself. Also, she (Sridevi) spent her whole life on sets and doing films. I’ve had a different upbringing. Even though I was very involved with cinema it’s different when you’re performing before a camera from a very young age and just a bystander watching. I still can’t say. I mean, I am Sridevi’s daughter but I don’t think anyone can have anything on her or share any similar qualities. Also, I don’t think I learned acting at Lee Strasberg. I learned acting in this office with Shashank!

Q. Do you think you look like your mother?

A. Yes, I think there are similarities. But that’s pure genetics. I don’t think talent gets transferred like that.

Q. Your parents, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, were afraid that you were not prepared for the non-creative aspect of filmmaking. Explain that.

A. They weren’t worried about the acting part or being a part of it. They were worried about how I would handle the constant media attention. You know, it’s almost like you’re put up on this podium in an arena and everyone feels they have the freedom to point fingers at you and judge you for your every move. There’s also a lot of... with films there’s success and failure... and there’s a lot of other stuff unfortunately apart from just the acting. For example, there’s promoting a film which Mamma would always say is the toughest part of filmmaking as she found out with English Vinglish and when Mom released. I completely second that.

I think acting is a way of life. It’s a feeling. Actors are the most blessed artistes. It’s such a blessed profession. You have the opportunity to live so many lives in just one

Q. Dhadak is a remake of Sairat. Would you have been happier if your first Hindi film was an original and not an adaptation of a super hit Marathi film?

A. I didn’t consider this at all, surprisingly. When I saw Sairat, I was awestruck by what (director) Nagraj Manjule had created and the way the story had been told and the kind of graph the girl’s character has. I was just so excited to explore a life like that and learn from that journey. Also, there were so many good things here. Karan (Johar) was going to be there to guide me and I had the opportunity to work with Shashank whose previous two films (Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania) I love. I think he has a great way of making real characters and real relationships. I knew Ishaan (Khatter) was already a very talented actor. So all these things were so exciting. I also knew I had the opportunity to explore a new culture in Rajasthan and to tell this story which I think is an important story. Bachpan se I was kind of obsessed with Romeo & Juliet. I think there are only about eight to ten stock stories aur ussi ko alag-alag version bana ke repeat kar dete hai. I relate more to the epic kind of love story than the contemporary. I’d like to do that, also. But I was excited to go on this journey.

Q. Hadn’t your mother warned you that acting wasn’t just about looking pretty and reading the lines? Now that you’ve done Dhadak, what’s your experience?

A. I think acting is a way of life. It’s a feeling. Actors are the most blessed artistes. It’s such a blessed profession. You have the opportunity to live so many lives in just one. And to grow from that and to experience new things. You know, doctors save people’s lives and there are people fighting a war on the border. There are other important professions as well. But maybe people think what we do is very easy. Yet we have the power to make people feel things. To touch people’s lives. Kaun-kaun doosre logon ko rula sakta hai? Through it, I l feel when you make an honest film and do honest work you take the audiences with you on a journey to learn new things and see a life that maybe they would not have an opportunity to see. Like Ramu the guy who works in my house... perhaps in his lifetime he would not get the opportunity to go to a foreign location and, say, watch Jacqueline Fernandez belly dancing! Not just that. In a more deeper sense acting teaches you about life. It’s very vast. From a more selfish place, if it wasn’t for acting maybe I would never have known anything about Rajasthani culture. Even if it’s just a fleeting feeling. You know, like I play a mother for a period of time in the film and I experience a certain kind of loss. I feel if an actor really commits to feeling these things it can help you to sympathise and become a more open minded human. It’s a beautiful craft. It’s so much more than just looking pretty!

Q. You said in an interview that while shooting for Dhadak you experienced freedom and other things you never had before. What did you mean?

A. I’m very thankful for the upbringing my parents have given me but I think the kind of people they were – they were very protective of me. Of course, when we ventured out of India there was freedom in terms of travel. We could walk around roads and everything. It was very normal. But in India, Mamma and Papa were very protective. I remember most of our holidays in India were spent in hotels or going to the events we had to go to or at people’s houses for dinner. When I was visiting them on shoots I’d get to explore a bit. But you know how you see people roaming around the streets and really discovering the culture? I somehow felt I could never do that because my parents were worried. What I loved about the Dhadak shooting experience was that it allowed me to become a local in Udaipur and experience the city as a local and understand so much about the kind of people that lived there and the Rajasthani culture. So there was a freedom in that sense. There was anonymity. No one really cared who I was or what I was doing.

I’m happiest in front of a camera on a set thinking about films. I don’t feel like I’ve lost out on anything

Q. But you’ve lost that freedom! Now you are recognised. You are a star already and you’re just 21. People mob you. They want selfies with you.

A. I know and I’m grateful for the kind of attention I’m getting. It would be wrong if I were to crib about it. People die for this kind of recognition. But I’m aware that whatever little attention I’m getting is because of Mamma and Papa and the hype that’s built around the release of Dhadak. So I think it’s important that I stay humble about it. But, yes, I’m happy and flattered that people want to take selfies with me. It’s a big deal for me.

Q. Have you seen Ishaan’s film Beyond the Clouds?

A. Yes, I’ve seen it three times. I think Ishaan is one of the most gifted actors in today’s times. What he did in his first film many people can’t do in their entire careers. I’m not an authority to speak on acting but I’ve worked with him and to watch him act has been such a pleasure. I’ve had so much to learn from him. His energy on the set, the way he approaches a scene, the kind of passion he has is so evident even in Beyond The Clouds. He is unparalleled, his talent is.

I was kind of obsessed with Romeo & Juliet. I relate more to the epic kind of love story than the contemporary

Q. Dhadak’s trailer got 30 million views in 48 hours. At 21, you’re on the threshold of a major career in films. Do you think you’ve missed out on youth?

A. I guess so. Maybe I have. But I think my love for acting weighs that out any day. Doing this matters more to me than anything else. I’m in no position to crib. That I’ve got this opportunity to do Dhadak is such a big thing for me.

Q. Don’t you miss the things your friends of 21 do?

A. Sometimes. But it was a very organic disconnect I had. Lots of the things they talk about or like to do, I’m not inclined to do anymore because I know I’ve a responsibility towards my profession, my craft, and I’m very happy with that. I’m happiest in front of a camera on a set thinking about films. I don’t feel like I’ve lost out on anything. Maybe a few years from now I’ll feel that. But right now I’m very happy with myself and I don’t think I’ll regret it at all.