Janhvi Kapoor reveals she was depressed after release of her debut film Dhadak: ‘Thought packup hogaya’

In a recent podcast appearance, actor Janhvi Kapoor revealed that her memories following the release of her debut film Dhadak in 2018 are not entirely pleasant.

Actor Janhvi Kapoor stepped into Bollywood under bittersweet circumstances, with her debut film Dhadak releasing just months after the death of her mother, Sridevi. Janhvi has now admitted that she slipped into depression after the film’s release, feeling that people hate her.

Janhvi Kapoor made her debut in 2018 alongside Ishaan Khatter in Dhadak.

Janhvi Kapoor’s memory of Dhadak

Recently, Janhvi appeared on Raj Shamani’s podcast, where she took a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reflecting on her early days and her debut in Bollywood. Janhvi made her debut in 2018 alongside Ishaan Khatter in Dhadak.

Looking back, Janhvi said, “You know, every time anyone talks to me about my first film, Dhadak, they are like, ‘she was so good in it’ or that ‘we loved Dhadak’ and ‘you earned a lot of money’... But my memory of Dhadak was very different. I was depressed after Dhadak. I thought ho gaya and that packup hogaya (I am done). People hate me.”

“I got all of my validation in my life from my mom. She went away. So I was like, okay, I'm going to shift that to the audience. And I was expecting some across-the-board acceptance, which I didn't know does not exist. I was only concentrating on the negative.

I didn't concentrate or even acknowledge the fact that it was a very… I think it was the most commercially successful film with newcomers up until Saiyaara. It didn't even click to me that it was a hit. I just knew that I sucked and people hated me… Because I only looked at the negative, and that became my reality.”

Previously, in podcast B4U Hear It Here, Janhvi recalled the time when she felt worthless and undeserving after getting her debut film Dhadak She mentioned, “During Dhadak and Gunjan Saxena, I have been made to feel that I got everything on a platter, and I got things I don’t deserve, which means that I am technically worthless, and I am getting opportunities because of the work my parents have done. At the same time, I also felt an overwhelming respect and love for my parents, and I am being given love and work because of that. But the truth is that I love acting and I live for it.”

Janhvi Kapoor’s Bollywood journey

Directed by Shashank Khaitan and backed by Karan Johar, Dhadak was a remake of the 2016 Marathi film Sairat, and went on to earned approximately ₹110.11 crore at the box office.

Janhvi went on to work on diverse films such as Gunjan Saxena, Ghost Stories, Roohi and Good Lucky Jerry. She was recently seen in the romantic comedy Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, directed by Shashank Khaitan, co-starring Varun Dhawan, Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf. The 2025 release was a moderate box-office success, earning ₹100 crore worldwide on a ₹80-crore production budget.

Next up, Janhvi is slated to appear in the upcoming Telugu film Peddi opposite Ram Charan, set for release later this year.