After the well-received Gunjan Saxena and Roohi, Good Luck, Jerry is Janhvi Kapoor’s third release during the Pandemic, and perhaps the most crucial film of her career so far. Tackling a totally transformative role, Jahnvi plays a Bihari girl who gets involved with drug trafficking. Janhvi talks to Subhash K Jha about the challenges ahead.
You have another major release coming up after Gunjan Saxena and Roohi. Butterflies?
More than butterflies, it is excitement. Good Luck Jerry is unlike anything I’ve played so far. Shooting this film was exciting. I had so much fun with this character. This film is different from anything I’ve do so far. I am just curious and excited to know what the audience thinks of it.
Coincidentally this is your second remake of South Indian film where the actress in the original has scored big with critics. Is it intimidating doing roles that have already been sort of iconized?
It was a challenge for sure to reinterpret Nayanthara’s role in the Tamil Kolamaavu Kokila. But I enjoyed it. With every role, the excitement comes from doing something new. With this film and character I had the chance to get into a world that is so different from mine. My director Siddharth Sengupta gave a lot of importance to being as authentic as possible and living eating breathing like Jerry and understanding where she really came from , and also on understanding her language. So I spent a lot of time with the dialect coaches. My co-stars were either from Bihar or Punjab. They were also very helpful in understand my character’s psyche. So I was very relaxed on the set. I guess it does feel daunting now, when people are reminding of the original performance. But I think as an actor it is interesting for me to give my own interpretation to such iconic characters and performances. This is my attempt at doing something they’ve done and adding something of my own to it. I hope people like it.
Out of curiosity if you had to pick on one film of your mother’s for remake which would it be? Would you be scared of the comparisons?
I don’t have the audacity to pick any of her films and be in a remake. Because what she has done to every of hers is fully untouchable. Any attempt to reinterpret them would fall really short.
Jerry is going straight to OTT. Wouldnt you have preferred for it to be released in theatres first?
I would have really preferred if it was a community experience in theatres. But Disney+Hotstar has such a large viewership and it’s going to reach to so many people simultaneously, so I’m excited.
What are your other forthcoming assignments? Are you happy with your progress?
I m shooting for Bawaal and Mr & Mrs Mahi. Both are films I’m extremely excited about, as they convey ideas that I believe in my own life, I can’t reveal any more. All I will say is, both are films very close my heart. Shooting them has been an an amazing experience so far.
Your sister Khushi makes her debut in Zoya Akhtar’s Archies. Are you going to be a proud and competitive sister?
I have always been a proud sister. I am prouder now for the hard work she is putting in for her debut film. She is giving it her all. I can’t wait for everyone to see what I’ve always seen in her. I think she is pure magic on screen. As a person, she is all heart. And I think we are the biggest support system for one another. I know we will always be there for one another. Hopefully we will both do well in our careers.