Janhvi Kapoor is excited, anxious and going through “a million other emotions” as she awaits the release of her debut film, Dhadak. The daughter of the late veteran actor Sridevi and filmmaker-producer Boney Kapoor, was in Pune to promote her film and spoke to us about her role, first day on the set and why she thinks Khushi is more like her onscreen character, Parthavi.

Our director Shashank Khaitan took Ishaan and I to Udaipur and Jaipur to recce the location. This helped me understand the culture, diction and how the locals speak. We went there twice and I met people on my own to understand more too. After that, I sat with the script everyday and read it. I would read the dialogues of every character so as to increase my vocabulary. It was purely everyday riyaz.

Well, that I believe came more from feeling the character than trying to be Parthavi. Also, I think Khushi is a lot like Parthavi. The way she reacts or the way she behaves is more like what Khushi is. So, I saw a lot of Khushi in Parthavi.

I would not say I am a trained dancer. However, I did take a few Kathak classes for a month or two. It was more like a crash course and I would not qualify as a trained dancer. If I may say, I flirted with Kathak, I think.

There were no nerves but yet I was anxious. Ek bechaini si thi . But, Shashank made things easy as he has this amazing energy. He made the set a safe and secure place and that’sabout it.

Well, as of now I want to prove my mettle as an actor. If I am accepted in the industry, I would definitely like to explore more. I will definitely look at the script and director, in any language. I don’t know if I am at a place where I can choose. But, I consider myself extremely lucky to have the opportunity of being in front of the camera. It means a lot to me. Ideally, I would like to play characters that I can learn and grow from, that touch people’s lives and explore new avenues.