'Her consent mattered less': Janhvi Kapoor's makeup artist claims

Dubai: As criticism over the portrayal of Janhvi Kapoor's character in Peddi continues to grow, the actress has found an unexpected defender in her makeup artist, who has stepped forward to share what reportedly happened behind the scenes.

Savleen Kaur Manchanda, Janhvi's longtime makeup artist, shared a post on her Instagram stories suggesting that the actress had explicitly raised objections to certain shots in the film during post-production. The post read: "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 oversexualising women. She drew a professional line, but the final edit kept the footage anyway."

The post went on to make a pointed accusation against the film's direction. "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."

What the leaked messages claimed

The makeup artist's post came alongside a wave of screenshots shared by Janhvi's fan clubs, which appeared to show text messages purportedly sent by the actress herself. The most widely circulated message, dated October 30, showed Janhvi allegedly writing: "I told him no...waist shots. And Ram sir is so sweet he also yelled at him and said you will not take such angles of her ever again. So he got upset."

Janhvi has not publicly commented on the controversy or confirmed the authenticity of the messages.

The criticism began following Peddi's release on June 4, with audiences and critics taking issue with how Janhvi's character Achiyyamma is introduced on screen. Many pointed to sequences they felt focused heavily on her body rather than establishing her as a character. A separate scene involving a kiss without consent also drew significant attention online.

Director Buchi Babu Sana responded to the backlash with a public apology on X. "I have always had immense respect for women, both on and off screen, and it was never our intention to objectify or disrespect any female character," he wrote. "If any part of the film has been perceived that way, we respect those sentiments, understand the concerns being raised, and sincerely apologise." He also confirmed that changes would be made to the relevant portions of the film.

The film continues to perform

Despite the controversy, Peddi is showing no signs of slowing down at the box office. The film has collected Rs 126 crore net in India and over Rs 190 crore worldwide since its release, with Ram Charan, Boman Irani, Divyenndu and Shiva Rajkumar all drawing audiences alongside Janhvi.