Janhvi Kapoor recalls painful phase after Sridevi’s demise, says it was treated as ‘entertainment’: ‘I was perceived as too cold…’

Janhvi Kapoor reflects on the intense media scrutiny following her mother Sridevi’s death in 2018, revealing how her grief became a public spectacle. She contrasts this with current celebrity practices of shielding their children from paparazzi. The actress highlights the lack of privacy and the subsequent trivialization of her loss, which deeply impacted her perception of human nature.

Grief is deeply personal, but for those in the public eye, it often becomes a spectacle. Janhvi Kapoor, who lost her mother and legendary actress Sridevi in 2018, recently opened up about how her most painful chapter was stripped of privacy and turned into fodder for public consumption.

Paparazzi culture then vs now

In conversation with Vogue, Janhvi reflected on how today’s celebrities are far more protective about their children’s exposure to the paparazzi. In contrast, during her own childhood, it was treated casually. She shared that growing up under constant media glare often led people to label her as privileged, a perception that, in her view, overshadowed her real identity.

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No space to grieve privately

The actress further shared that when her mother Sridevi passed away, she was denied the space to grieve privately. The constant media scrutiny left her vulnerable—smiling during film promotions drew criticism for seeming unaffected, while staying quiet led to perceptions of being distant. What made it worse was how her personal tragedy was trivialised online, even turning into memes that reduced her loss to public entertainment.She also revealed that the aftermath of her mother’s passing left a deeper wound than the loss itself, making her grow increasingly cynical about human nature. She and her sister chose to remain strong in public, never allowing others to see their vulnerability. But this resilience came at a cost—many began to treat them as if they weren’t human, stripping away empathy and compassion, and leaving only criticism in its place.

Remembering Sridevi

Legendary actress Sridevi passed away on 24 February 2018 in Dubai, where she was attending a family wedding. At just 54, her sudden death due to accidental drowning left her family, the film industry, and millions of fans in shock. The tragedy struck only months before her daughter Janhvi Kapoor’s much-awaited Bollywood debut with Dhadak in July, making the loss all the more heartbreaking.