Janhvi Kapoor (born 6 March 1997) is an Indian actress who works inHindi andTelugu films. Born to film actressSridevi and producerBoney Kapoor, she made her acting debut in 2018 with the romantic dramaDhadak, which was a commercial success.
Janhvi Kapoor was born on 6 March 1997.[1][2] Her father is the film producerBoney Kapoor, the son of the late filmmakerSurinder Kapoor,[3] and her mother is the actressSridevi. She is the niece of film actorsAnil andSanjay Kapoor.[4] Her younger sister,Khushi, is also an actress.[5] She has two half siblings,Arjun (an actor) and Anshula Kapoor from her father's first marriage.[6] Kapoor lost her mother at age 20, when she was found dead of an accidental drowning in Dubai.[7]
Kapoor made her acting debut in 2018 with theShashank Khaitan-directed romanceDhadak, co-starringIshaan Khatter and produced underKaran Johar's studioDharma Productions.[10] AHindi-language remake of the 2016Marathi filmSairat, it featured her as a young upper-class girl whose life turns tragic after she elopes with a lower-class boy (played by Khatter).[11] The film received predominantly negative reviews,[12] but with a worldwide collection of₹1.1 billion, it proved to be a commercial success.[13][14] Writing forNews18,Rajeev Masand criticised the film for removing caste-based references and deemed it inferior to the original, but felt Kapoor had "a fragility that makes her instantly endearing, and a soulful quality that makes it hard to take your eyes off her on screen".[15] Conversely,Anna M. M. Vetticad ofFirstpost thought that she "lacks personality and delivers a colourless performance".[16] She won theZee Cine Award for Best Female Debut.[17][18]
Kapoor's next screen appearance came in 2020 when she starred inZoya Akhtar's segment in theNetflix horror anthology filmGhost Stories.[19] Shubhra Gupta ofThe Indian Express disliked the segments but added that the "only real surprise comes from Janhvi Kapoor in a solid, real act".[20] She then took on the title role of aviatorGunjan Saxena in the biopicGunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, which due to theCOVID-19 pandemic could not be released theatrically and instead streamed on Netflix.[21] In preparation, she spent time with Saxena, underwent physical training, and learned the body language of an air force officer.[22] Saibal Chatterjee ofNDTV described Kapoor's performance as "passably steady" while Rahul Desai ofFilm Companion was more appreciative of her "deceptively private performance" which he considered to be "pitch-perfect".[23][24] She received a nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Actress.[25]
In 2021, Kapoor played a dual role oppositeRajkummar Rao in the comedy horror filmRoohi.[26] The film was theatrically released after several delays due to the second wave of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[27] The film and Kapoor's performance were panned by critics,[28][29] and it performed poorly at the box-office.[30] The following year, Kapoor starred inGood Luck Jerry, a remake of the 2018 Tamil filmKolamaavu Kokila, produced byAanand L. Rai.[31] It was released on the streaming platformDisney+ Hotstar.[32] In her next film,Mili, a remake of the Malayalam filmHelen, she played a young woman trapped in a freezer, which was played byAnna Ben in the original.[33]Anupama Chopra was appreciative of the "sweetness and sincerity" she brought to the part but considered it much less accomplished than Ben's performance.[34] It emerged as abox-office bomb.[35] She received another Best Actress nomination at Filmfare.[36]
Career fluctuations (2023–present)
Kapoor starred oppositeVarun Dhawan inNitesh Tiwari'sBawaal (2023), a romantic drama about a feuding couple who learn aboutWorld War II as they travel across Europe. It was released digitally on Amazon Prime Video.[37] The film received backlash forHolocaust trivialization.[38] Writing forThe New York Times, Beatrice Loayza criticised the lack of chemistry between the lead pair and dismissed Kapoor as "devoid of charisma".[39] Leaf Arbuthnot ofThe Guardian also panned the film and their chemistry but was appreciative of her "still, mature performance".[40]
Kapoor in 2024
In 2024, Kapoor had three film releases. She reunited with Rajkummar Rao for the sports dramaMr. & Mrs. Mahi, about a man who vicariously fulfils his dreams of becoming a professional cricketer through his wife.[41] Whilst filming cricketing sequences, Kapoor twice dislocated her shoulder.[42] Shilajit Mishra ofThe Hindu thought that she had yet to achieve "requisite ease in performance" despite appearing in nine films.[43] She followed this with the portrayal of a youngIndian Foreign Service officer accused of dissent against the government in the political thrillerUlajh.[44] Kapoor admitted to feeling "obsessive" about the film due to her substantial involvement in the creative process.[45] In a mixed review of the film,The Quint's Pratikshya Mishra was appreciative of Kapoor's handling of "emotionally demanding scenes".[46] Similar to her previous theatrical releases, bothMr. & Mrs. Mahi andUlajh were commercially unsuccessful.[47][48]
Also in 2024, Kapoor expanded toTelugu cinema by playing a brief role oppositeN. T. Rama Rao Jr in the action filmDevara: Part 1 fromKoratala Siva.[49][50]Rediff.com'sSukanya Verma dismissed her role in a rare androcentric project, writing that she "shows up only post interval to pout and preen around NTR's machismo".[51] With a gross of over₹5 billion (US$57 million),Devara: Part 1 emerged as Kapoor's first commercial success sinceDhadak, as well as the highest-grossing of her career.[52]
Kapoor will continue her collaborations with Dharma Productions in the romantic comedySunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, opposite Dhawan, and is also set to star oppositeRam Charan in the tentatively titled Telugu filmRC16.[53][54] She will also star oppositeSidharth Malhotra in the romanceParam Sundari.[55]
Kapoor has been placed in Rediff.com's "Best Actresses" list in 2020 and 2022.[56][57] She is an endorser for several brands and products, such asNykaa, Drools andAldo.[58][59][60] Kapoor has frequently featured inThe Times of India's list of most desirable women, ranking 28th in 2018, 24th in 2019, and 18th in 2020.[61][62][63] In 2020,Eastern Eye featured her in their dynamic dozen for the decade list.[64]
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