Janki Bodiwala: If you’re honest in your performance, people will notice no matter how new you are

Janki Bodiwala is set to reprise her role as Aarya in the sequel to Kalpesh and Krunal Soni’s Vash, titled Vash Level 2. The Gujarati film was later remade in Hindi as Shaitaan, starring Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan. Janki, who won the National Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film, reflects on what made the first part connect so deeply and what audiences can expect from its sequel. In a chat with Mumbai Mirror, she says, “Vash worked because it felt real and terrifying at the same time. With Level 2, everything feels bigger: the scale, the emotions, even the kind of fear it creates. As an actor, it pushed me into new spaces emotionally, and I think the audience will see a much stronger side of her.”

Her Bollywood debut with Shaitaan was another milestone that gave her national visibility. While she had spoken earlier about learning simply by observing Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan on set, she recalls how Ajay’s words of praise left her stunned. She says, “It was surreal. I went in with the mindset of just learning quietly on set because I was working with such experienced actors. And then Ajay sir, who has seen and done everything in cinema, said something so generous about me. It gave me a lot of confidence. For me, it was a reminder that if you’re honest in your performance, people will notice no matter how new you are.”

The actor also had her share of challenging moments during the shoot. One such scene required her to pee on screen, which eventually had to be scrapped due to technical constraints, and another had her slapping Ajay Devgn. Looking back, she says, “Both moments were tough for different reasons. For the ‘pee’ scene, I was actually ready to do it because it felt real to the character but technically it just wasn’t possible. The slap was scarier for me. I kept thinking, ‘How can I slap Ajay sir?’ But he was very supportive. He told me to forget about him and think only about my character’s truth. That kind of reassurance made it easier for me to perform, and I think the scene worked because of that comfort he gave me.”

While she has received appreciation for playing intense characters like Aarya in Vash or Janhvi in Shaitaan, she admits that such roles have created a certain perception about her. “It does, honestly. After Vash and Shaitaan, I’ve been offered a lot of intense parts. But I take it positively, it means people believe I can pull it off. At the same time, I don’t want to get stuck in one space. I want to do lighter, fun roles too, so people see all shades of me as an actor.”





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