Speaking to Karan, Janhvi explained why she had been apprehensive about discussing the issue, noting that many people had worked hard on the film. She said she was unsure what to say or whether there was anything more to add about the controversy.
The actor said she continued to reflect on the potential impact of such portrayals on society, particularly on women, and accepted responsibility for her part in the controversy.
“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, right? And I think that shame I’ll always carry with me,” Janhvi said.
She acknowledged that she could have been more proactive in questioning the scenes and raising objections when necessary. Reflecting on the portrayal, she agreed that the scenes were problematic and involved extreme objectification, while also raising concerns about whether the narrative propagated sexual assault.
“Could I have done more? Could I have been more vigilant? Could I have made a bigger scene? A hundred per cent, yes. Was it problematic? Was it extreme objectification? Did it even propagate sexual assault narratively? Yes. But yeah, I mean, the only thing I can do is to ensure that doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Janhvi also described the pressure actors can experience when working under a director's instructions. She said performers may feel obligated to follow the director's decisions in the interest of maintaining professionalism, even when they have concerns about how a scene is being handled.
“And again, 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, you have to be professional. You have to listen to the director,” she explained.
The actor further pointed out that scripts do not always offer a complete picture of how scenes will eventually appear on screen. In particular, she said the camera angles used during filming may not be apparent from the written script, making it difficult for actors to anticipate the final presentation of a scene.
Janhvi said she had tried to navigate these circumstances by addressing concerns as information became available to her.
“So I was really navigating how to make things less problematic, as best I thought, as and when information was becoming available to me. Because you know this, I can just say that very rarely is there a bound script. And very rarely in those scripts do you see where the camera angles are,” she said.
However, she also acknowledged that her position as a privileged actor could have enabled her to challenge decisions more forcefully. Janhvi said she should have made greater use of that privilege to speak up about the scenes.
“But 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—” she said, before the available quotation cuts off.
The controversy surrounding Peddi centres on the portrayal of Janhvi's character, Achiyamma. Several viewers raised concerns about the sexualisation and objectification of the character, while the treatment of certain scenes prompted criticism over whether they appeared to normalise or propagate sexual assault.
Janhvi Kapoor talk about her controversy in Peddi movie at Koffee With Karan show https://t.co/a4NAoBIVUD
— Filmy_Duniya (@ayaanpanda1) October 28, 2026
Director Buchi Babu Sana subsequently issued a public apology, stating that the team had no intention of disrespecting or objectifying female characters. The controversial scenes were also removed or edited in the theatrical cut.
Janhvi's remarks address both the creative decisions that triggered the criticism and her own role in responding to them. Her acknowledgement that she could have challenged the scenes more strongly adds to the discussion surrounding the portrayal of women in cinema and the responsibility of actors and filmmakers in determining how female characters are represented on screen.
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