Is Janhvi Kapoor out of the ‘Sridevi ki Beti’ Syndrome?

Sridevi-putri Janhvi Kapoor’s spirited performance in the freezing thriller Mili has taken the critics by surprise to see her come out on her individual performance in the Malayalam remake of the National Award-winning film Helen (2019) and make her mark with the film. Janhvi of course takes her acting genes from her illustrious mother Sridevi who is hailed as the first female megastar of Indian cinema. When Janhvi debuted with Dharma Production’s Dhadak (2018) shortly after her mother’s sudden demise, the country was sympathetic to Janhvi’s debut and looked forward to the film in homage to Sridevi and with an inquisitiveness to see her daughter launched into the film industry, where her mother worked for 50 years in 300 films across 5 languages.

Each press conference and public appearance dogged Janhvi with questions about Sridevi and the vacuum she had left behind not only in the country but also in the Kapoor family. Dhadak also called for mighty comparisons with her mother while Janhvi had to put it across through various interviews that people must not compare her to her mother and look at her individually with even her father and Sridevi’s husband Boney Kapoor appealing to people to look at Janhvi beyond Sridevi. After all, life could be cruel for the daughter of Sridevi and a son of an Amitabh Bachchan as comparisons with their mighty parents who strode the film industry like a colossal for decades could be a humongous burden. Masses often remark them as ‘Sridevi ki beti’ or ‘Amitabh ka beta’. It took years for Abhishek Bachchan to come out on his own, while Janhvi treads a cautious path forward as a performing actress.

Amidst the path she took post her debut, Janhvi had to battle years of the nepotism debate (though not as severe as others had to endure) as not only Sridevi but also as popular cross-over producer Boney Kapoor’s daughter. Janhvi knew the opportunity as a ‘starkid’ she had got could not be taken for granted and had a huge responsibility to establish herself in the film industry while making her parents proud.

Before last week’s release Mili, which saw Janhvi in her father Boney Kapoor’s production, Janhvi has essayed strong female characters since her debut film. Her role in Gunjan Saxena-the Kargil Girl drew wide acclaim for her performance as an Indian Air Force combat pilot during the state of war. Her chilling portrayal in the role of Sameera, a nurse in the Netflix film Ghost Stories left an indelible mark in minds of the audiences with her first double role in comedy-horror Roohi. She has carefully chosen women-oriented roles rather than glamourous ones in movies with dominating heroes.

Though Mili has crashed at the box office (like most Hindi films post-Covid-19), there is a beating heart to her performance and her honesty to portray the titular role of a struggling woman stuck in a freezer. To singularly command an 80% occupancy in a suburban theatre on a Saturday night, for a new-generation actress is a feat in a challenging time for Hindi cinema.

While Janhvi will remain Sridevi’s daughter, and though it is some way ahead for Janhvi to sharpen her acting skills, she seems to be in the right direction with honest and earnest performances.