Before her acting debut in 2018 with Dhadak, Janhvi Kapoor was trained in language and diction by Seema Kapoor, the former wife of late actor Om Puri. Seema is also actor Annu Kapoor’s sister. In a recent interview, she spoke about Sridevi being deeply involved in the process when the training began, a few months before her untimely passing in 2018. Seema revealed that Janhvi’s parents, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, insisted on proper training ahead of her debut on the silver screen. 

 

Speaking about the criticism Janhvi received early on in her career for her Hindi, Seema defended her former student. “I think it’s childish and immature to target someone over their language. It’s not like I can speak French or German. Language is a form of expression. Before we had language, we communicated through hand gestures — and we survived, didn’t we?”

Interestingly, Seema didn’t take any fee for her efforts. “Sri ji and Boney ji asked how much I’d charge as fees, and I said, ‘Ghar ke bachche…’ And it’s not like I’m a professional teacher,” she shared. Seema reflected on how teaching Janhvi helped her during a difficult personal phase. “I was going through a tough time, and this helped take my mind off things,” she said, 

 

Seema also shared that Janhvi once sent her a self-composed poem. “I told her to keep writing, it would help her grow as an artist,” she said, seemingly proud of her student.

On the professional front, Janhvi was last seen in Devara: Part 1, and will next be seen opposite Varun Dhawan in Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. She is also gearing up for another major release — Param Sundari, a romantic-comedy co-starring Sidharth Malhotra. 

See Also: PHOTOS: Janhvi Kapoor, Rekha and more turn heads at Ulajh’s screening