Don’t Blame Tollywood For Janhvi Kapoor’s Roles

Right now, many viewers feel Telugu filmmakers are presenting Bollywood diva Janhvi Kapoor in overly glamorous roles. The same criticism surfaced during Devara, and now similar comments are being heard after Peddi's release. A section of fans believes that as Sridevi’s daughter, Janhvi should be getting graceful, performance-oriented characters rather than glamour-focused roles. That too, with Buchi Babu Sana presenting her in a more demeaning avatar, these fans of Sridevi are on the rise now.

But is it really fair to blame only the directors? After all, actors also choose the films they sign. Janhvi has already built a reputation in Bollywood through glamorous roles, fashion campaigns, magazine covers, and other photo shoots. Unlike Sridevi, who entered cinema in a completely different era where heroines often carried entire films on their shoulders, Janhvi belongs to a generation where visibility and market positioning work differently. If we look at her Instagram page, those pictures are more spicy than what she has done in Telugu films to date.

More importantly, Telugu filmmakers are not forcing her into these roles. Scripts are narrated. Characters are discussed. Contracts are signed. If Janhvi wanted only author-backed, performance-heavy characters, she has enough influence today to reject films that don’t offer them. The inside talk is that, as she’s charging more than ₹6 crores for each film, she’s being offered only these glam roles, which could have a viral pull on the youth to theatres.

While Janhvi chased author-backed roles in Bollywood, where she mixed glam with lots of scope for acting, she hasn’t even seen a single blockbuster falling her way. Maybe that’s the reason she wants to excel as a commercial starlet first rather than an arthouse actress. But her mother also did lots of glam roles, like in NTR’s Vetagadu before choosing those roles with substance. Till then, let's not blame Tollywood alone.