Born on March 6, 1997, Janhvi Kapoor is the daughter of producer Boney Kapoor and late actress, Sridevi. Raised into a film family, Janhvi studied at Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai. (All photos courtesy: Janhvi Kapoor's Instagram account)
Very few know that Janhvi, just like her half-brother Arjun Kapoor, wasn't fond of studies. Janhvi had no plans of going to college after school as she didn't, or let's just say still doesn't, believe in institutional studies. She took up an acting course at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles.
Janhvi Kapoor made her Bollywood debut in 2018 with Dhadak, a remake of the Marathi film Sairat. She starred alongside Ishaan Khatter, who is Shahid Kapoor's half-brother.
Recalling her childhood days, Janhvi said, 'I remember skipping school and watching five movies in a day, my parents thought I was insane. I learned more on the set than in school because films help you learn through experience.'
The late actress Sridevi's reaction when Janhvi broke the news of wanting to become an actor was just epic. She exclaimed 'Aiyo!' And as they say 'Moms know best', Sridevi felt that her daughter shouldn't pick acting as a trial and error method. She told Janhvi, 'If you want to do this, you need to give it everything and nothing else should matter.'
In picture: Janhvi Kapoor with sister Khushi Kapoor and a friend.
Coincidentally, Sara Ali Khan (daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh) also made her Bollywood debut in the same year. Well, comparisons were bound to happen. Talking about Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan, Sridevi had said in an old interview with mid-day, 'Competition can never be eliminated from this industry. There is nothing wrong with it. It keeps you on your toes, making you work harder. But, the biggest challenge lay in bettering your craft, and faring better than you did the last time.'
Sridevi even shared how her intentions were misunderstood when her daughters Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor accompanied her to film events. 'Earlier, I would take them to social gatherings and premieres that I attended. But they (people) thought I was promoting Janhvi,' Sridevi had said once.
Sridevi had told mid-day that she wanted Janhvi to chart her own trajectory in the industry but as a mother, she 'can't help but give her tips about everything - from how to dress to what she eats'.
Hoping to follow in her mother's footsteps since childhood, Janhvi Kapoor had revealed that her bedtime stories, too, would revolve around films , she happily swapped fairy tales for stories about Sridevi's 'whacked-out experiences' in the industry.
Pictured: Janhvi Kapoor had the cutest caption for this picture with her dad Boney Kapoor. She wrote, 'Baby kuala w papa kuala (sic).'
Sridevi's advice to her is what Janhvi will strive to follow. 'Mum always told me, it's not about the kind of role or movie you do, you need to make an impression , that's an actor's job. She never encouraged emotions like jealousy or frustration. We're capable of being happy for others.'
Pictured: Janhvi Kapoor shared this candid photo with sister Khushi Kapoor from a wedding. She captioned it, 'I know we look kind of evil but god knows we are #ilu ft. wedding season double chins (sic).'
While the newbie was a bundle of nerves on the first day on set, she said the makers ensured she was comfortable. 'The first day was fun. Shashank (Khaitan) had established a safe haven for us and we were already feeling like a family. But I was nervous. I didn't sleep the night before we started rolling. We kicked off with Yad Lagla [the song adapted from the original film Sairat],' she said.
Pictured: We absolutely love Janhvi Kapoor's outfit! She captioned this picture, 'Wedding season got me like...'
You would be amazed to know how Janhvi Kapoor's 'auditions' for the film were. Karan Johar had visited Sridevi's home, when the actress was having a conversation with the filmmaker about Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra.
Pictured: Janhvi Kapoor with the bride at the wedding. She captioned the pic, 'Prettiest bride.'
While leaving, KJo asked Janhvi to drop by his office for a meeting. They met and rehearsed a few scenes together. Every week, he would print out a scene from his movies and give it to Janhvi. She would learn it, do the scene with him and then he would give his inputs.
Janhvi started sleep talking the lines from Karan's movies, Khushi had revealed. Said Janhvi, 'I think it was Kajol mam's lines from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. These sessions were like my auditions. He was trying to gauge my acting capabilities.'
Pictured: Such a princess! Doesn't Janhvi Kapoor look adorable in this throwback photo? She captioned the pic, 'Mood.'
Talking about Janhvi Kapoor, Karan Johar had said, 'She's a pro, handling herself with a maturity that belies her age. It's both, heartbreaking and endearing that she talks about her mother constantly. Kapoor is not what you expect. And this is just the beginning of her story.'
Pictured: Janhvi Kapoor shared this photo with her father Boney Kapoor on his birthday. She captioned the pic, 'Lurrvv u most #hbd (sic)'
Before her debut, while stepping into films, Janhvi Kapoor said she is only going to work towards making her mother proud. 'Every morning, all that I would do was (wake up) with the hope that one day you'd be as proud of me as I was of you. But I promise I'll wake up every day with the same thought. Because you're here and I can feel you.'
Janhvi Kapoor truly proved that she belongs to a filmi family, who follow the principle of 'The show must go on'.
'Children have their own mind. When it comes to her work, I don't want to advise. She must cultivate her craft all by herself, make her own choices and chart her own path,' Sridevi told mid-day in an old interview.
In an industry that is quick to pit actors against each other, parallels were already being drawn between Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan. But both the newbies chose to remain unaffected.
While speaking about Janhvi and her Bollywood debut, Sridevi had said, 'I don't think it's a bad industry. I am a creation of this world. But, as a parent, it would give me greater joy to see her married. But her happiness matters more, and if she does well as an actress, I will be a proud mother.' But as fate would have it, Sridevi was not by Janhvi's side when Dhadak hit theatres.
'Walking with my girls made me feel like a proud mother. But to the world, it became a reason to misunderstand me,' Sridevi said talking about Janhvi and Khushi accompanying her to events.
While speaking about Janvi's debut, Sridevi had told mid-day, 'The excitement overrules the nervousness.'
In Picture: Janhvi with sister Khushi Kapoor.
Here's a look at some candid pictures of Janhvi Kapoor before she became a star!
Pictured: This one is a snapshot from a childhood video Janhvi Kapoor posted of herself dancing with a friend at an event.
On the work front, Janhvi Kapoor will be seen playing Indian Air Force pilot Gunjan Saxena in her biopic, which releases today, August 12 on Netflix. Gunjan is the first woman IAF combat pilot who played a very important role during the Kargil War in 1999. She was also awarded the Shaurya Chakra for her bravery. Pankaj Tripathi will be seen playing the character of Anuj Saxena, Gunjan's father, in the film.
Apart from this drama, Kapoor has a lot of other exciting films coming up that will excite her fans. She has Dostana 2 coming up with Kartik Aaryan, a film about two men who fall in love with each other. She also has Johar's next directorial, Takht, which has an ensemble of Anil Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, and Bhumi Pednekar. This period drama is slated to release on December 24, 2021.
Here's wishing good luck to Janhvi Kapoor for her future projects!
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![While the newbie was a bundle of nerves on the first day on set, she said the makers ensured she was comfortable. 'The first day was fun. Shashank (Khaitan) had established a safe haven for us and we were already feeling like a family. But I was nervous. I didn't sleep the night before we started rolling. We kicked off with Yad Lagla [the song adapted from the original film Sairat],' she said. Pictured: We absolutely love Janhvi Kapoor's outfit! She captioned this picture, 'Wedding season got me like...'](https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/b-town-specials/janhvi-kapoor-makes-her-private-instagram-photos-public-see-the-best-pics/janhvi-kapoor-instagram-pics-h.jpg "While the newbie was a bundle of nerves on the first day on set, she said the makers ensured she was comfortable. 'The first day was fun. Shashank (Khaitan) had established a safe haven for us and we were already feeling like a family. But I was nervous. I didn't sleep the night before we started rolling. We kicked off with Yad Lagla [the song adapted from the original film Sairat],' she said. Pictured: We absolutely love Janhvi Kapoor's outfit! She captioned this picture, 'Wedding season got me like...'")
