Janhvi Kapoor’s role in Ram Charan’s Peddi is back in discussion after Karan Johar brought up the controversy while talking to Rashmika Mandanna on Koffee With Karan.
There was nothing wrong with Karan asking Rashmika about her preferences when it comes to on-screen dressing. Rashmika spoke about her discomfort with excessive skin show and the boundaries she sets for herself. Every actress has her own choices, and that is completely fine.
But Karan bringing up Janhvi’s Peddi experience raises another question. Is the issue with her dressing, or with the way her character was presented in the film?
Janhvi’s portrayal faced criticism over the camera angles and the way her character was shown on screen. The director, Buchi Babu Sana, later apologised for the scenes that drew criticism and said changes had been made. So the discussion was not just about the clothes she wore, but also about how the character was presented.
This is where Karan’s own films come into the picture. Several of his productions have featured glamorous looks and revealing costumes. If the concern is about how women are presented on screen, shouldn’t the same question be asked across films? Compared with the glamour seen in some of those films, is Janhvi’s look in Peddi really so different?
Rashmika was sharing her personal boundaries, and there is nothing wrong with that. But Janhvi’s Peddi controversy raises a separate question about creative choices and how female characters are presented. Question the character and the creative choice, but don’t make an actress’s clothes the whole story.
