Peddi Makers Face Heat Over ‘Objectification’ Of Janhvi Kapoor

Mumbai: Pan India movie Peddi was released in theatres on June 4. Since its release, the Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor-led sports drama has faced backlash over its portrayal of the female lead, with viewers accusing the film of objectifying her and mishandling the character.

The criticism has gathered pace on social media, where several users have also raised concerns about specific scenes in the film. Many have argued that Peddi’s (Ram Charan’s character) actions towards Achiyamma (Janhvi Kapoor’s character) amount to ‘objectification.’

The backlash has largely centred on the writing of Janhvi Kapoor’s character rather than the film’s direction or overall storytelling. Viewers say her role adds little to the narrative and primarily positions her as an object of desire for the male characters, limiting her agency and impact. Social media reactions have been particularly sharp, with users calling out what they describe as problematic visual choices and characterisation.

One user wrote, “It’s high time they stop sexualising heroines in films. Literally there’s a scene where hero describes her face but they show her waist and chest,” while another commented, “the heroine deserved a character. Instead she got a string of vulgar, degrading, objectifying scenes stitched together and called a role. It ain’t bold.. it ain’t glamorous.. it’s just poor & cringe writing.. a complete embarrassment to every women in the audience..”

Some users also highlighted specific scenes they found objectionable. “In one scene from #Peddi, #RamCharan compliments #JanhviKapoor. He describes her eyes, scene then cuts to show her breasts. He describes her lips, then cuts to show her waist. To Editor, are you really that clueless that you don’t know what eyes & lips are?” wrote another user.