When Sridevi passed away in 2018, her daughter Janhvi Kapoor was only 20 years old, and months away from making her debut in Bollywood. While the incident happened a few years ago, Janhvi, in a recent interview, shared that she continues to carry the trauma of losing her mother.
In a chat with Raj Shamani on his YouTube channel, Janhvi said, “I try to escape my mind, my inner turmoil. The feelings that I haven’t dealt with, the trauma that I haven’t dealt with. The biggest trauma was losing my mom, especially the way I did, in front of the whole world and dealing with that journey.”
Janhvi Kapoor recalls when the world was ripping apart their ‘family dynamics’
Janhvi also spoke about how she was a dependent daughter who had to grow up overnight after her mother’s sudden death. She said, “I was a very dependent daughter. I didn’t make my own decisions. I would depend on her for that. What should I wear? What should I think? What is wrong and right? Everything. So suddenly to make your own decisions with the world ripping you apart, making accusations on family dynamics…”
She added, “I made some bad decisions and let some people into my life that had no business being anywhere near me and taking advantage of me the way that they did. I was not putting myself in a safe space. I was compromising my mental and physical safety constantly.”
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‘I didn’t lose one parent, I lost my father also that day’
Recalling memories of Sridevi, she said, “I cannot get over the pain of losing my mom. There is no one like her. I miss how funny she was. I miss who she made me, my sister and my father. I didn’t lose one parent, I lost my father also that day, the version of him that existed when she was around.”
When asked if she could speak to Sridevi today, what her mother’s thoughts about her would be, Janhvi said, “I don’t think she would be able to recognise me now. The world has changed. I have seen things. I have opinions of my own that are not the opinions that she had. I don’t know what that interaction would look like.”
When asked about the one thing she would say to her mother, Janhvi responded, “I understand her now. And I am sorry that I didn’t understand her before. She was dealing with things with a completely different lens, compared to how I used to see it when I was a kid – professional, financial, and others. She started working from the age of four, but she never shared any stories of her struggles with us. She only shared happy stories.”
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‘People called Sridevi a homewrecker’
Janhvi also recalled watching an old interview of Sridevi, where the late actor had openly expressed her vulnerability and her desire to be taken seriously during her initial years in the Hindi film industry. Speaking about the same, Janhvi said, “I have seen that journey. People were not very kind when she was around. They called her a homewrecker and all the cruel things. It played on her mind and made her feel a certain way, but history is kind to people who have passed.”
Janhvi Kapoor’s father Boney Kapoor was previously married to Mona Kapoor and was a father to two children – son Arjun Kapoor and daughter Anshula Kapoor. He met Sridevi while he was still married to Mona. He later divorced Mona and married Sridevi. They raised two daughters together – Janhvi Kapoor and Khushi Kapoor.
Watch Chetak Screen Awards 2026 LIVE on YouTube, Sony Entertainment Television, and Sony LIV on April 5 at 8 pm.
DISCLAIMER: This article contains deeply personal reflections on grief, the long-term impact of losing a parent, and the emotional challenges of navigating public scrutiny during personal turmoil. If you are experiencing distress or finding it difficult to cope with loss, please remember that seeking support is a sign of strength, and professional help is available to guide you through your journey.
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