2018 saw the acting debut of two big star kids, i.e., Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, the daughters of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh and Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, respectively. And talks of comparison between the two already began much before either of the two had a film release in the theaters.
Karan Johar, the mentor of most star kids who make their debuts in the Indian film industry, has stated that it would be unfair to compare Sara and Janhvi. But it is human nature to compare and verify the similarities and differences between two much-hyped star kid debutants.
Janhvi has stated that she does not hold any graduate degree and is an ‘unpad’ while doing promotions for her debut film ‘Dhadak’. She has completed her school from Dhirubhai Ambani International School. She then took an acting course from The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. As opposed to this, Sara Ali Khan hold a graduate degree from Columbia University in political science and law/history.
Both Sara and Janhvi have had tragedies in their lives, but have successfully fought through it and come across as jovial happy girls. Sara’s parents got divorced when she was nine years old and she was not allowed to see her father for a few years following the divorce. The 23-year old also got diagnosed with POS (polycystic ovary syndrome) as a teenager and had to adhere to a strict diet and do daily workouts to prevent weight gain. She gained a lot of weight during her years at Columbia, but underwent numerous sessions at the gym and diet training to lose weight before making her acting debut. The 21-year old Janhvi also suffered a personal tragedy when her mother suddenly passed away in Dubai in Feb 2018.
Janhvi has maintained a high sense of fashion and style from the time she became the focus of media attention. She attended many red carpet functions in impeccable dresses with her mom Sridevi when she was alive, and does so even now. In May 2018, she was featured on the cover of Vogue magazine. Later in the year, she made it to the covers of Brides Today and Grazia, which showed that she could easily carry both traditional Indian and Western styles with ease and grace. She has also maintained this fashionista icon on her Instagram account.
Sara does not exude that chic aura of Kapoor, but she has shown a lot of spunk and attitude. Her posts on Instagram are more personal and candid, which has gained her a lot of followers. Khan’s fan base grew after she had begun posting her ‘fat to fit’ videos on social media. She has also made to several best dressed lists of varied magazines, but has yet to grace the cover of one. Both Janhvi and Sara have made appearances on the show ‘Koffee with Karan’, but the latter’s appearance was more popular and liked by viewers. The ease with which she answered all the embarrassing questions along with her wit and candor showed that she was not just another giggly debutant, but someone with an evolved and mature mind.
On the professional front, Janhvi made her debut with the movie ‘Dhadak’. The film was a remake of the Marathi blockbuster ‘Sairat’. Karan Johar produced the film and Shashank Khaitan directed it. The film released in theaters on July 20, 2018 and made just a little over INR 100 crores worldwide by the time it finished its run at the box office. The male lead Ishaan Khatter was praised by critics for his performance, while Kapoor won accolades for her expressive eyes and charm. Her next big release is the multi-starrer ‘Takht’ directed by Johar; it is set to hit the theaters on May 3, 2020. As per reports, she will also star as the female lead of Sidharth Malhotra in Johar’s Dostana 2 and opposite Varun Dhawan in Shashank Khaitan directed Rannbhoomi.
Sara made her acting debut with the romantic drama Kedarnath set against the backdrop of the Uttarakhand floods of 2013. The film released in theaters on Dec 7, 2018 and has made over INR 95 crores at the box office. Critics praised the ‘natural’ performance of Sara as well as her chemistry with the male lead Sushant Singh Rajput.
Sara’s second release of 2018 was Rohit Shetty’s action drama Simbaa starring Ranveer Singh in the main lead. The movie had a mega opening day and collected INR 100 crores on the opening weekend itself. As of Jan 2019, its worldwide collections total to about INR 330+ crores, which makes it one of the biggest Bollywood hits of 2018. Even though the film is a blockbuster, Sara had very little to do in the film and as many critics have stated, her role in Simbaa only asked of her to look breathtakingly beautiful, which she did.
As of Jan 2019, Sara has not signed to do any new movies. It was rumored that she would be cast opposite Tiger Shroff in Baaghi 3, but she has denied those reports.
It has been reported that Janhvi Kapoor was in a relationship with childhood friend Akshat Rajan and later with Shikhar Pahariya, the maternal grandson of former Maharahstra CM Sushil Kumar Shinde. In August 2016, pictures of her kissing Shikhar at a nightclub party were leaked in the media. Rumors about Kapoor dating Ishaan Khatter also did the rounds in mid to late 2018. On the other hand, Sara Ali Khan was rumored to be dating Veer Pahariya, the grandson Shinde; Ishaan Khatter; and Harshvardhan Kapoor, the son of Anil Kapoor.
The comparisons between Sara and Janhvi are not going to stop anytime soon. They have long careers ahead of them and its going to be a while before one pips the other to the top. The two are just 1 and 2 films old, and while Sara may have slightly gained the upper hand over her rival as far as acting chops are concerned, there is a long road ahead!
