Janhvi Kapoor Admits She Sometimes ‘Plays Dumb’ to Navigate Male Egos on Set
The actress opened up about the subtle politics of working in a male-dominated film industry during her candid chat with Kajol and Twinkle Khanna on Two Much, even as her new film Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari nears release.
Janhvi Kapoor recently appeared on Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s talk show Two Much, where she spoke openly about the challenges of dealing with male egos in the film industry. The Mr. & Mrs. Mahi actress revealed that she sometimes pretends to be “dumb” on set to avoid unnecessary conflict or bruised egos when expressing her opinions. “I understand that I am coming from a place of privilege in my work environment,” Janhvi said. “But for me, it’s been about navigating egos, especially male egos. If I have an opinion, I now find myself in rooms where I can say what I want without tiptoeing around. But earlier, I had to pretend to be less aware just to get my point across without offending anyone.”
Janhvi went on to explain how she carefully chooses her battles. “Sometimes I know something doesn’t make sense, but I let it go. On the next one, I speak up. I have to say ten nice things first and pretend I’m not capable enough, just because the scene feels too politically incorrect. So instead of saying ‘This is messed up,’ I’ll just say ‘Mujhe samajh nahi aa raha (I’m not getting it).’” Her remarks offered a rare and honest look at how female actors often navigate the subtle gender dynamics on film sets.
On the professional front, Janhvi will next be seen alongside Varun Dhawan in Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, a romantic comedy directed by Shashank Khaitan and produced by Dharma Productions. The film, set to release on October 2, 2025, also stars Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf. It marks Janhvi and Varun’s second collaboration after Bawaal. The music of the film has already caught attention, with one reimagined track featuring Sonu Nigam expected to be a major festive dance number.
By opening up about her on-set experiences, Janhvi Kapoor once again showed her candid and self-aware side—balancing honesty with the diplomacy needed to survive in a complex industry.
