Arjun Kapoor on life after Sridevi’s death: We are still picking up the pieces

Last month, right before the trailer of Dhadak was launched, actor Arjun Kapoor took to social media and posted an extremely heart-warming message for his half-sister, Janhvi Kapoor (daughter of his father, Boney Kapoor, and the late actor Sridevi). Along with a family picture, the Mubarakan actor posted a message for the young debutante, a part of which read:

“Firstly, sorry I’m not there in Mumbai but I’m by your side, don’t worry (sic).” His bigbrotherly affection created a lot of buzz. We caught up with him about the gesture around her big Bollywood debut.

Your loving message for Janhvi made a lot of news. How would you explain it?
It’s difficult for me to give a one-off reply, or in a ‘by the way’ manner. I actually need a lot of time to process what has happened. But I just did what I felt impulsively at that point. Between me and my sister(Anshula), we felt that it was the right thing to do. Also, it all happened after we consulted my maasi (maternal aunt), because I’ll always need her consent [for certain things] for her to be fine about our actions.

Your message must have delighted the family, especially your father?
Honestly, we’re still figuring things out and picking up the pieces. I’m a really emotional person, so my emotions do come out [especially on social media]. So, you can say that my protective side comes around in those moments. I’ll continue to be that way as a brother and as somebody who’s always looking out for their best interest. But I still don’t have answers to a lot of things. Too much has happened and I wouldn’t wish these things even on my worst enemies. I’ve experienced it first-hand, so if I encompass everything in one answer, it would make the matter very small.

Being the elder brother, do you feel such things will give everyone, especially Janhvi and Khushi, a lot of strength?
Maybe, when the time is right, and when I’m able to articulate my feelings better and give it some kind of shape, I’ll talk about it in detail. But right now, there are too many emotions to feel. Also, as somebody who has always been extremely close to his father, I want Janhvi and Khushi to be absolutely okay as much as I would want Anshula to be fine. But the things that have led us to these circumstances are extremely tragic; that’s why I need some more time to figure out what life holds [for us].

Janhvi and Khushi are believed to be really sensible girls…
Yes, they’re very nice, sensible kids, maybe more than me, too (smiles). There’s a lot of dignity and grace in the way they’ve conducted themselves. In a way, I think my father is also relieved that they both are such sorted kids, as that could have been the toughest thing in such a situation. For me, there are no rights and wrongs in this [because] it’s all still a blur, as a lot has happened. When I come to terms with it myself, I will be able to answer it better.

Janhvi is set for her big movie debut. Excited?
I’m looking forward to watching Dhadak, and I’m very happy that people have reacted so positively to the trailer and also [to] Janhvi. She has started doing her [promotional] interviews, and she was at home a few days back to discuss how I went about my interviews during Ishaqzaade (2012; his debut film). She is a very inquisitive child that way, who’s learning how to go about things. This is a good time for her to focus on work.