Actress Janhvi Kapoor, in a conversation with Mashable India, recalled her controversial remarks with regards to the hypothetical debate between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. She revisited hoew her statement had initially caught the internet by surprise. Kapoor revealed that after expressing her opinion, her public relations team was keen to remove that part from the interview due to concerns about public perception.
Janhvi, reflecting on the aftermath, shared her astonishment at the public’s reaction and questioned the skepticism towards a young actress having a thoughtful opinion. She highlighted the irony of the situation, noting that while some believed her comments were PR-crafted, her team had actually been anxious to delete them. “One of the reactions was that I had been trained by my PR. In reality, my team was getting hyper and wanted it out of the interview,” she clarified.
The actress recounted how, post-interview, she and her PR team deliberated over the potential fallout of her comments. “After the interview, I asked my PR if I had said something wrong. They warned that the statement might attract attention. The next day, I started panicking, fearing it might affect the film’s release. My PR team suggested we cut that bit to avoid unwanted attention, but the publication refused. The irony was stark—people thought I had been coached to say it,” she said.
Janhvi attributed her growing interest in caste-related issues to her conversations with filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, who shared his experiences with caste discrimination. This spurred her curiosity and led her to read Ambedkar’s seminal work, *Annihilation of Caste*. “Neeraj’s stories made me realize how little I knew about caste issues. Living on Ambedkar Road and being unaware of his history was a wake-up call. Reading Ambedkar’s book has profoundly changed me,” she admitted.
She expressed a sense of responsibility to understand and address the pervasive issues of caste and class in society. “Classism and casteism are deeply ingrained, and we rarely talk about it. We should be ashamed of our ignorance,” Janhvi asserted.
In a previous conversation with The Lallantop, Janhvi elaborated on her views, stating that a debate between Gandhi and Ambedkar would be fascinating due to their differing perspectives on caste. She emphasized the evolving nature of Gandhi’s views compared to Ambedkar’s steadfast stance on the issue. “Understanding the caste problem from both their viewpoints versus living that reality highlights a significant difference,” she concluded.
Janhvi Kapoor’s candid remarks and subsequent reflections have not only sparked debate but also highlighted the importance of engaging with complex social issues, demonstrating that young voices in the entertainment industry can contribute meaningfully to societal discourse.
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