She avoids speaking about her mother publicly.
Janhvi Kapoor has condemned the growing “voyeuristic nature” of media and social platforms that dehumanise even the most personal tragedies.
Speaking at the We The Women 2025 event, she said modern media culture had “single-handedly contributed to the complete derailment of human morality,” and insisted the issue is worsening daily.
Janhvi reflected on her experience following the death of her mother, legendary actor Sridevi, and recalled the shock of seeing her grief turned into online memes.
She said losing Sridevi in 2018 was an indescribable trauma, but watching the internet trivialise it left her unable to “compute or explain” the insensitivity she witnessed.
The actor told Barkha Dutt that she avoids speaking about her mother publicly because she fears people will accuse her of using tragedy for publicity.
She explained that her grief remains deeply personal, adding that she worries any discussion could be misinterpreted as an attempt to generate sympathy or grab headlines.
Janhvi said this fear prevents her from sharing more about her emotional journey, even though her mother’s sudden death at 54 remains an immeasurable loss.
She also criticised the recent false reports surrounding Dharmendra’s health before his death on November 24, saying the rush for sensational content has become dangerous.
The veteran star passed away at 89, and Janhvi noted that reckless misinformation spread online created confusion and distress long before his death was officially confirmed.
She warned that similar incidents have happened repeatedly, and said she believes the situation will worsen unless audiences reassess their consumption habits.
Janhvi Kapoor added that celebrities are partly responsible because they feed the same system through engagement, views and participation in viral narratives.
She said every click, like and comment reinforces a culture that rewards sensationalism, creating an endless appetite for invasive and insensitive content.
Calling the situation “depressing,” she argued that “human morality is in shambles” due to the normalisation of voyeuristic behaviour online.
She said society once had a moral filter that discouraged certain actions, but that protective instinct has “gone out of the window” in the social media era.
According to her, people now seek out disturbing content, whether it involves death, disaster or violence, because platforms have conditioned audiences to crave shock value.
Janhvi described this shift as a “modern-day crisis” where tragedy becomes entertainment and gossip-like satisfaction fuels harmful behaviour.
She concluded that unless people consciously reject such voyeurism, the erosion of empathy will continue to accelerate across digital spaces.
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