Janhvi Kapoor Breaks Silence On 'Ambedkar Vs Gandhi Debate' Comment: 'I Know So Little, Should Be Ashamed'

Janhvi Kapoor left everyone surprised when she said that she would love to watch a debate between BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi. Her statement from The Lallantop’s interview went viral across social media. While some appreciated Janhvi for trying to become more aware, others thought it was a PR activity. The actress has now addressed the matter.

Speaking to Mashable, Janhvi said, “Is it so hard to believe that a young female actor can have an opinion? I was so shocked.” However, she added that since most interviewers ask questions about an actress’ clothes and dating life, it is easy to assume that the person lacks substance and it was a PR plug.

“I remember people said that the entire conversation was a ‘PR plug’. I said it very normally while having a conversation with the interviewer. But after the interview was over, I asked my PR if I had said something wrong, and they said, maybe people might pick up on the Ambedkar vs Gandhi debate point. I started panicking because I did not want people to get it wrong and hamper the movie’s release. My PR team then called the organisation that did the interview and asked them if they could chop that part, but they refused. So the irony is that my PR actually wanted to get that part removed completely, but people believed that it was planted by the PR,” she added.

She added that spending time with filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan, who belongs to her Dalit community, made her curious about the subjects of class and caste in India. She said she learnt from his stories and baggage and then decided to read Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste. She said that reading the book has changed her outlook on life. “I was like I am a part of this society. I am a Hindu. But I know so little about it. I live on the street named after Ambedkar and even then I know almost nothing about his history. I should be ashamed,” she added.

Janhvi said that after reading the Annihilation Of Caste, she also watched multiple videos on the subject. She urged the youth to read up about Indian history and said, “As the youth of this country, it is very important to make informed decisions for the society with knowledge about the past.”