Janhvi Kapoor has been ‘heavily trolled’, Neeraj Ghaywan says Homebound will mark a shift for her as an actor

Janhvi Kapoor stars alongside Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa in Homebound, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.

Janhvi Kapoor was present at the Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of her upcoming film Homebound, which received a 9-minute-long standing ovation. Talking about her casting in a new interview with Variety, director Neeraj Ghaywan shared that the actor has been ‘heavily trolled’ before, but this film will shift the perception of the audience. (Also read: Emotional Neeraj Ghaywan hugs Karan Johar as Homebound gets 9-minute standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival)

Janhvi Kapoor poses along with director and writer Neeraj Ghaywan during a photocall for Homebound at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP)(AFP)

On Janhvi's casting in Homebound

Neeraj said of Janhvi, “She’s been maligned publicly and heavily trolled, but when people see this film and her true potential, they’ll wake up to see she’s really made of something else. I gave her [Bhimrao Ramji] Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste to read, and she went into a rabbit hole of trying to understand the glaring differences that we live with together.”

‘She felt she wasn’t really acting…’

In the same interview, producer Karan Johar said that Janhvi did a 10-day workshop with Neeraj for the film, which meant a lot for her. He said, "She felt she was in 10 days of therapy with Neeraj, and she felt healed as a result. Even now, she says those seven or eight days spent on the sets of Homebound will be her best days spent on a film set. She felt she wasn’t really acting but going through some sort of personal catharsis.”

Homebound also stars Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa. According to the official website of the Cannes Film Festival, the film's premise is: “Two childhood friends from a small North Indian village chase a police job that promises them the dignity they’ve long been denied. But as they inch closer to their dream, mounting desperation threatens the bond that holds them together.”

The film is produced by Karan Johar, Adar Poonawalla, Apoorva Mehta, and Somen Mishra. The co-producers include Marijke de Souza and Melita Toscan Du Plantier.