The controversy surrounding Janhvi Kapoor’s portrayal in Peddi has prompted two of Bollywood’s most prominent voices to speak up. Both Jaya Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor Khan have weighed in on the wider issue of how women are depicted on screen, drawing on their own experiences to make their case.

Peddi row intensifies as Jaya Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor slam female objectification

Jaya Bachchan recalls a personal incident on set

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Bachchan said she had confronted the issue head-on early in her career and made it clear that such behaviour would not be tolerated. She said, “Nobody ever dared to cross the line with me. I had only one unpleasant experience of being objectified by the director. I never worked with him again.”

The incident, the report noted, occurred during the filming of Shor, directed by Manoj Kumar, in which Bachchan played a streetwalker. The director had wanted her to wear a ghagra-choli throughout the film without a dupatta, but she held firm, insisting on covering her upper body. The disagreement led to an open dispute between them.

Bachchan, who has repeatedly raised industry concerns in Parliament, said it is essential to address such incidents on the set itself, before they go any further.

Kareena Kapoor Khan cites classic examples of sensuality without objectification

Kareena Kapoor Khan offered a different angle, arguing that sensuality on screen has never required women to wear fewer clothes. She pointed to several examples from Hindi cinema to support her view.

She said, “Look at Kajol in that song, ‘Suraj Hua Maddham’ in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, or Srideviji in the song ‘Tere Mere Honthon Pe’ in Chandni – they blew the screen apart without any skin show. My mother-in-law (Sharmila Tagore) in that song in Aradhana, ‘Roop Tere Mastana’, was covered from head to toe. She was the epitome of sensuality. I believe being sensual on screen has nothing to do with wearing revealing clothes or being objectified.”

The Peddi controversy and the director’s response

The backlash against Peddi began after viewers flagged the repeated focus on Janhvi Kapoor’s body in several scenes. One of the most discussed sequences involves Ram Charan’s character kissing her without consent, after which his character attempts to frame it as the only way he knows to express love.

Director Buchi Babu Sana issued an apology and announced that the scenes in question would be removed from the film. However, two days after the statement, those scenes reportedly continued to play in the theatrical version.

With industry figures continuing to speak out and audiences closely watching whether the promised cuts materialise, the debate around Peddi shows no sign of fading.

Also Read: Peddi filmmaker Buchi Babu Sana issues apology after viewers call out Janhvi Kapoor’s hypersexualisation; promises to make changes in “concerned portions”