Janhvi Kapoor has carved her own path in Bollywood, but her journey to stardom wasn’t without family hurdles. Born on March 6, 1997, in Mumbai to legendary actress Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor, Janhvi grew up surrounded by the glitz of filmdom. Her grandfather Surinder Kapoor was a noted producer, and uncles Anil and Sanjay Kapoor are industry stalwarts. Yet, despite this legacy, her mother Sridevi had other plans.
From a young age, Janhvi harbored dreams of acting, inspired by her mother’s iconic career. But Sridevi, protective and cautious, envisioned a safer future for her daughter. She urged Janhvi to pursue medicine, warning her about the cutthroat world of Bollywood. In a candid chat on ‘Too Much with Kajol and Twinkle,’ Janhvi revealed, ‘Mom was super protective because she knew the industry inside out. She thought I was too naive to survive it and pushed for me to become a doctor.’
Sridevi’s stance created tension. She once told Janhvi, ‘I don’t want to see you as an actress; that would be my worst nightmare.’ Undeterred, Janhvi turned to her father Boney Kapoor for support. With his backing, she convinced her mother to relent, stepping into films with Shashank Khaitan’s ‘Dhadak’ in 2018 opposite Ishaan Khatter. The Hindi remake of Marathi hit ‘Sairat’ was a box-office success, earning Janhvi the Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut.
Tragedy struck soon after. Just months before ‘Dhadak’s release, Sridevi passed away in Dubai on February 24, 2018, leaving 20-year-old Janhvi devastated. Yet, she channeled her grief into her work. Post-debut, she took on the role of IAF pilot Gunjan Saxena in the 2020 biopic, garnering critical acclaim and a Filmfare nomination. In 2022’s thriller ‘Mili,’ she played a woman trapped in a freezer, securing another Best Actress nod at Filmfare.
Janhvi’s ambition didn’t stop at Hindi cinema. In 2024, she debuted in Telugu films with ‘Devara: Part 1’ alongside Jr. NTR, and she’s gearing up for ‘Peddi’ with Ram Charan. From defying her mother’s wishes to becoming a versatile star, Janhvi’s story is one of resilience and determination in the face of personal loss and industry pressures.