Jahnvi’s Look in ‘Peddi’ Criticised

The recently released trailer of Peddi has sparked mixed reactions, with a section of viewers criticizing Janhvi Kapoor’s look in the film. Many felt her role appeared needlessly sexualised and disconnected from the emotional core of the story. Social media users commented that the “hyper sexualization of the actress feels completely out of place.”

Many viewers questioned Janhvi’s presentation in the trailer. The portions focusing heavily on the sexual aspect triggered trolling, with many netizens calling them “cringe.” Some users commented Janhvi’s scenes felt reminiscent of old-style commercial song visuals often associated with veteran filmmaker K. Raghavendra Rao — camera focus on the midriff, navel, hips and bosom!

There is a view among some audiences that a highly glamorized presentation of Janhvi could weaken the emotional authenticity of an underdog sports drama dealing with class barriers and ambition.

A director, on condition of anonymity, says, “Janhvi’s village belle role in Peddi looks similar to her role in Devara, where she walks with swagger and delivers a few punchlines. Since they sign a Bollywood actress, directors like to present her glamorously, but this backfired in both movies. We have never seen a rural girl behaving boldly like this. Telugu directors are going overboard and failing her.”

Actress asks for cringe cuts?

Peddi trailer did no justice to Janhvi. Her shots are being perceived as “unbecoming,” meant to provide the oomph factor in the most obvious way possible. After seeing the impact, reliable sources tell us Janhvi has asked the director to prune those flagrant shots. Apparently the Peddi director is happy to do so.

Subhash K Jha