Janhvi Kapoor compares her experience of working in Devara to Sridevi’s Bollywood journey: ‘She felt like an alien…’
Janhvi Kapoor shares her experience working in her first Telugu film and compares it to her mother Sridevi's experience working in her first Hindi film.
Janhvi Kapoor is all set to make her Telugu debut with Koratala Siva and Jr NTR’s Devara. The actress recently opened up on her experience working in the film and revealed that she felt closer to her mother Sridevi while working in the film.
In an interview with Film Companion, Janhvi Kapoor talked about her experience working with Jr NTR in Devara and said, “It’s a lot of fun. I am having a blast. I think I have gotten to a point where, after doing all these films wherein I am dying in a freezer, dislocating my shoulder, or acting with a rat, I realise I am allowing myself to do what comes naturally to me which is like nautanki, dialoguebaazi, dancing, and just having fun. And doing the kind of roles I have grown up enjoying and loving. I am finally getting to do all in this film. I think I am going easier on myself and allowing myself to enjoy it. I think this is the perfect film to be able to do that.”
She further compared her experience working in the first Telugu film to her mother Sridevi working in the first Hindi film and said, “While working on Devara, I felt closer to mom. It is quite ironic because when she started doing Hindi films, she didn’t know the language, and they called her a ‘parrot’. She would hear the dialogue and repeat it, and she was very good at it. She kind of felt alien in that environment, and I am going to Telugu cinema.”
She added, “I don’t know the language at all, and I am only phonetically familiar with Tamil. I record my dialogues, and my DOP Randy (Rathnavelu) calls me a ‘tape recorder’. So, I feel like I now have an understanding of what she did and it feels like home. Even before the film, I think they accepted me with open arms and so much love. Even on the sets, it feels like a big warm hug.”
Helmed by Koratala Siva, Devara: Part 1 stars Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor. Saif Ali Khan is the antagonist in the film. The film also stars Bhaira, Prakashraj, Srikanth, and Shine Tom Chacko, and the music in the film is composed by Anirudh Ravichander. The film is scheduled to hit the theatres this year and the teaser of the film will be out on January 8, 2024.