When Janhvi Kapoor lost her mother, the legendary Sridevi, she also lost the privacy to grieve. “Imagine losing your mother and it’s entertainment for half the nation,” she recalls in her Vogue Wedding Book cover story.

Every reaction was scrutinised. If she smiled, she was “too okay.” If she was quiet, she was “too cold.” She adds, “My sister and I have never let them see the cracks, and because of this, people have felt they can throw mud at us, that we are not really human. That took empathy and sympathy completely out of the question.”

Psychologists explain that grief isn’t linear. The process often cycles through denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance; there’s no set timeline. “Human beings are unique individuals, and our experiences vary dramatically. Putting a strict timeline for each phase is impossible, hence it is advisable to encourage people around to evaluate whether the person mourning is stuck in one of the phases or not,” notes Dr Nicole Nasr, a counselling psychologist and visiting lecturer at City, University of London. In other words, grief is individual, and so is healing.

“It’s unfathomable that it could become a meme,” Kapoor adds. “The loss is one thing but the damage that came after really made me cynical about human nature.”

Her words resonate beyond fame. For anyone who has endured loss, the truth is simple: grief does not look one way. Some people retreat, others carry on. None of these makes the pain less real.

For Kapoor, the hardest but clearest lesson has been that mourning is not for public consumption. And perhaps the most radical act is to grieve on your own terms—imperfectly, privately, and without the need for anyone else’s approval.

Photographed by Farhan Hussain
Styled by Devanshi Tuli
Hair: Yianni Tsapatori/TAP The Artists Project
Makeup: Savleen Manchanda/Eficiente Artist Management

Also read:

Janhvi Kapoor: “I want my wedding to be quick and the honeymoon to be very long”

After my father died, I began cooking for my mother the same dishes she once made for him

6 things therapists do to stay calm when everything feels uncertain



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