Singer, Sumangaly Blasts 'Peddi' Makers For Hypersexualising Janhvi Kapoor, 'Prop For A Forced Kiss'

The makers of Peddi are currently under fire for hypersexualising Janhvi Kapoor's character in the movie. Recently, well-known singer, Sumangaly also slammed the makers. In fact, she implied that they knew exactly what they were doing by the way they treated Janhvi's character.  

Singer, Sumangaly calls out Peddi makers on Instagram over Janhvi Kapoor's character in the film

On Friday, June 5, 2026, singer, Sumangaly Ariyanayagam slammed Peddi makers for their oversexualisation of Janhvi Kapoor's character in the movie. Taking to her Instagram, she wrote about how the makers had built the plot around the trauma of powerlessness, but yet denied that same dignity to the Bollywood actress' role, ‘Achiyamma.’ In her Instagram Story added:

“A room full of powerful men sat down to write a story about the trauma of being powerless. In the same breath, they turned Janhvi Kapoor's character into a body for the lens, a prop for a forced kiss, and a tool to be thrown away when the songs ended. They knew exactly what human dignity meant. They just decided she didn't deserve it.” 

It is worth noting that Sumangaly's comments come at a time when the sports drama, headlined by Ram Charan, is facing severe backlash on social media over the way that Janhvi's character, ‘Achiyamma’, has been written and filmed by Buchi Babu Sana. The criticism has been focused on a number of things, including objectification, the way consent was handled in the love track, as well as now-viral screenshots where Janhvi was seemingly caught liking a post attacking the movie's treatment of her character. 

Did Janhvi Kapoor really like a post criticising the makers of Peddi?

Ever since Peddi premiered, the movie has been facing constant criticism about the way they handled ‘Achiyamma’s’ character on-screen. This is even more the case as Ram Charan's character had been given a larger sociopolitical arc. Sometime after the film was released, an Instagram page titled Recommendation Community shared a post which caught several movie-lovers' eyes, as well as those of Janhvi Kapoor's fans. It claimed that Peddi was the “most expensive disrespect ever paid to a leading woman in Indian cinema.” An excerpt from the post can be read as: 

“It is easy to blame an actress for the roles she takes, but the actual timeline tells a different story. Reports show that Janhvi Kapoor explicitly questioned these shots during post-production, a boundary that perfectly mirrors her recent public stance against the industry's habit of oversexualizing women. She drew a professional line, but the final edit kept the footage anyway. This isn't a case of an actress failing to stand up for herself. It is a director choosing to ignore a boundary because he decided her consent mattered less than his box office numbers.”

While Janhvi did not make any comment on the post, eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice that the actress had liked it, seemingly agreeing with what had been said. One user who noticed it wrote, “Liked by Janhvi Kapoor,” along with crying emojis. Another wrote, “Wtf this post is liked by Janhvi Kapoor. It is an insult to tfi.” It is worth noting that screenshots of Janhvi liking the post have gone viral, although it is not visible on the post now and has possibly been removed. 

A lot of the criticism surrounding the film has also been centred around its love track. Several viewers and Janhvi's fans have objected to how ‘Peddi’, the character, says that he wants to touch ‘Achiyamma’ without her consent because otherwise, she would never agree to love him. He also claimed that her father would never agree to their marriage. Following this, during a power cut, he kisses her without her consent. When ‘Achiyamma’ ends up crying, another male character can be seen asking her to forget it, at least for the sake of her father's political career. 

What are your thoughts on singer, Sumangaly slamming the makers of Peddi over Janhvi Kapoor's character? Let us know. 

Also read: Janhvi Kapoor's Remark 'Not Okay With Sexualising Someone' Goes Viral Amid Objectification In Peddi

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Get App

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Choose your device Android or IOS (Apple)