The hypersexualisation of Janhvi Kapoor’s character in Peddi has sparked debate ever since the film hit theatres on Thursday. Amid the growing discourse on social media, singer Sumangaly Ariyanayagam has now spoken out in support of Janhvi, criticising the makers for the way the character has been portrayed. (Also Read: Peddi: Hero assaults heroine but Buchi Babu Sana insists on calling it ‘romance’ in Ram Charan-Janhvi Kapoor film)
Sumangaly slams Peddi makers
Recently, the Instagram page Recommendation Community shared a post criticising the film’s makers for allegedly oversexualising Janhvi’s character. The post was later liked by Janhvi Kapoor herself, prompting fans to speculate that the actor may have been expressing her dissatisfaction with the treatment of her role.
Shortly after Janhvi’s like drew attention online, Sumangaly reshared the same post on her Instagram Stories and voiced her support for the actor. She also took aim at the filmmakers, questioning the portrayal of female characters in mainstream cinema.
She quoted Recommendation Community’s post and wrote, “A room full of powerful men sat down to write a story about the trauma of being powerless. In the same breath, they turned Janhvi Kapoor’s character into a body for the lens, a prop for a forced kiss, and a tool to be thrown away when the songs ended. They knew exactly what human dignity meant. They just decided she didn’t deserve it.”
The singer’s remarks have added fuel to an already intense online conversation surrounding the film’s depiction of women and the treatment of its female lead.
What did the Instagram page write?
The Instagram page shared a post titled: “Peddi: the most expensive disrespect ever paid to a leading woman in Indian cinema.” The post criticised the film, which was reportedly mounted on a ₹350 crore budget, for discussing the denial of human identity as a systemic evil while simultaneously denying Janhvi’s character, Achiyamma, the same humanity.
The post argued that despite the film’s larger social message, its treatment of the female lead undermined that very theme. It also questioned why a character with narrative potential was reduced to visual appeal and romantic tropes.
A portion of the post spoke about how Janhvi had reportedly questioned the makers’ approach towards her character, but her concerns were allegedly ignored and the visuals remained in the final cut. The post read: “It is easy to blame an actress for the roles she takes, but the actual timeline tells a different story. Reports show that Janhvi Kapoor explicitly questioned these shots during post-production, a boundary that perfectly mirrors her recent public stance against the industry’s habit of oversexualizing women. She drew a professional line, but the final edit kept the footage anyway. This isn’t a case of an actress failing to stand up for herself. It is a director choosing to ignore a boundary because he decided her consent mattered less than his box office numbers.”
While Janhvi did not publicly comment on the post, fans quickly noticed that she had liked it.