Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor recently opened up about how the sudden loss of her mother, the legendary Sridevi, transformed her outlook and made her more religious. As Janhvi prepares for the release of her upcoming film, ‘Mr & Mrs Mahi’, set to hit theaters on May 31, she reflected on these changes during an interview with The Lallantop.
Janhvi shared that her mother, Sridevi, was deeply superstitious, adhering to practices like avoiding certain activities on specific dates, not cutting hair on Fridays to ensure Goddess Lakshmi’s presence in the house, and steering clear of wearing black on Fridays. Initially, Janhvi did not share her mother’s beliefs, but after Sridevi’s passing, Janhvi found herself embracing these superstitions more and more.
“She believed in things like, ‘certain activities should be done on specific dates,’ ‘don’t cut hair on Fridays as it will prevent Goddess Lakshmi from entering the house,’ and ‘avoid wearing black on Fridays.’ I never believed in such superstitions,” Janhvi admitted. “However, after she passed away, I started believing in them, maybe even too much. I don’t know if I was this religious and spiritually inclined when she was around. [When she was alive] we all followed these practices because Mamma did. But following her demise, the relationship our culture and history have with Hinduism… I think I started taking refuge in our religion a lot more.”
Janhvi Kapoor also shed light on her mother Sridevi’s devotion to Lord Balaji of Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. She fondly recounted, “She used to invoke his name all the time, ‘Narayan Narayan Narayan.’ She used to visit the temple every year on her birthday when she was working. After her marriage, she stopped going. Following her passing, I decided to visit the temple every year on her birthday. The first time I did, I became very emotional, but I also found great mental peace.”
Reflecting on her journey of coping with the loss, the Mr & Mrs Mahi actor revealed she still grapples with her mother’s absence. “I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. I talk about her more now because I like remembering her. Initially, I wondered why people kept asking me about the incident. While promoting my first film Dhadak, not much time had passed since her death, so it was still very fresh in my mind, and I was escaping reality through my work. In that realm, if I was reminded that she was no more, I couldn’t deal with it. There was a lot going on in my head.”
When asked about her mechanisms for coping with loss, Janhvi Kapoor shared a poignant reflection. “I don’t think anything can help,” she admitted. “I just think that time has passed and you just try to remember the good things. So, whenever I give interviews now, her name will crop up in every second or third sentence that I say: ‘Mamma used to say this…’ or ‘Mamma taught me this…’ I think it makes me feel like… she’s travelling somewhere and she will come back.”
Directed by Sharan Sharma, known for his debut with ‘Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl (2020), Mr. And Mrs. Mahi will mark Janhvi Kapoor’s fourth theatrical release, following Dhadak (2018), Roohi (2021), and Mili (2022). She is set to star in two more films this year, the political thriller ‘Ulajh’ and the Pan India project ‘Devara’ alongside Jr. NTR and Saif Ali Khan. For Rajkummar Rao, after ‘Srikanth’ and ‘Mr. And Mrs. Mahi,’ his upcoming 2024 releases include ‘Stree 2′ and Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video.’
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