"It's disgusting mom's death turned into memes, Dharam Ji's case......": Janhvi Kapoor SLAMS media culture

Janhvi Kapoor returned to Barkha Dutt’s Mojo Story this week, and the conversation took a deeply emotional turn. While the actress often keeps her guard up when speaking about her personal life, this time she chose honesty over restraint. Janhvi spoke about grief, the changing media landscape, and the disturbing appetite for sensationalism.

Craving Respect to Finding Her Voice

Back in 2023, Janhvi had openly admitted she desperately wanted respect. Today, she says her lens has shifted. She feels she no longer needs validation from strangers, but she does expect basic dignity and empathy, especially from those shaping public narratives.

Reflecting on the past, she shared that when she first entered the industry, she was navigating both loss and scrutiny. She remembers how every move she made was picked apart. What hurt more was watching her trauma become content.

Grief Turned into Headlines and Memes

The actress revisited the months after her mother Sridevi’s sudden passing, days she describes as numb and unreal. While she was still trying to process the loss, the internet had already turned it into commentary and humour.

She said it was a shock to see jokes, memes and careless speculation about the tragedy. As someone grieving, she couldn’t understand how strangers found entertainment in someone’s pain. Her family even restricted news consumption at home to protect her from the noise.

Calling Out the Culture of Voyeurism

Janhvi didn’t shy away from calling out the media’s growing obsession with insensitivity. She pointed out how recent incidents, including the coverage surrounding veteran actor Dharmendra, show that audiences and media alike have normalised crossing boundaries. She believes both creators and consumers share responsibility. Every click, comment and share fuels a system that rewards shock value over humanity.

“This isn’t just about celebrities,” she explained. “It’s about what we’re becoming as a society.”

Janhvi ended the interview by saying she’s not angry anymore, but she remains disappointed. She hopes there comes a time when grief isn’t treated like gossip and dignity isn’t optional. Because for her, and many others, the line between personal tragedy and public spectacle disappeared far too quickly.