As the controversy over the portrayal of Janhvi Kapoor’s character in Peddi continues, actor-politician Kangana Ranaut weighed in, urging actresses to speak up when they feel uncomfortable on sets.
While doing so, she also reminded audiences that objectification is often unintentional rather than intentional.
Kangana Ranaut’s position Objectification in cinema
Speaking to news agency PTI while promoting her upcoming film ‘Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata’, Kangana addressed the broader issue of how women are portrayed on screen. She said that filmmaking is a collaborative process and that actresses have the opportunity and responsibility to report scenes that may not be appropriate.“You can highlight the scene and say, ‘It looks like this.’ They may not want to object because no one wants to make a movie where they say, ‘Let’s object.’ What I’ve seen is that they don’t think that way,” she said.Ranaut also explained why she believes many of the problematic scenes stem from a lack of female perspective in the writing room rather than malicious intent. “So, as a woman, you can share your perspective and say, ‘Yes, this is how it feels or it doesn’t look beautiful,'” she added.
Mostly they will agree with you and say: “No, actually we didn’t think it was that way.” As a group of guys when we were writing it in a closed room, we didn’t think it was going to be so bad.
These things happen. “If you’re working on a film, if you accept it, it’s a collaboration.”
Controversy “Peddi” in focus
Kangana Ranaut’s comments come amid ongoing criticism of the film Peddi, starring Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor. Much of the backlash was directed at Janvi Achiyama’s character’s introductory scene, in which the camera lingers on her body before her face is shown, a choice that many viewers argued prioritized visual appeal over establishing character.Several romantic scenes between the two leads were given further scrutiny, with some viewers questioning whether the scenes adequately depicted consent and agency.
Buchi Babu Sana He responds and the scenes are removed
Director Butchi Babu Sanna acknowledged the criticism and confirmed that certain scenes would be removed from the current theatrical version of Bedi, which was released on June 4, 2026. He also issued a public apology, stating that it was never his intention to objectify or disrespect any female character.
