Overview

• In an Instagram post on July 22, Jaitly accused the makers of Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride of sidelining her character’s arc in favor of Emraan Hashmi’s “serial kisser” persona.
• She said the director promised her a richer emotional journey during Manish Sharma’s narration but the final cut prioritized spectacle over her character’s depth.
• Jaitly clarified that her criticism was aimed at the production team’s mentality rather than at her co-star Emraan Hashmi.
• The 2006 release received mixed reviews for its plot and was often critiqued for underdeveloped female lead storylines.
• Her post has reignited conversations about gender bias and creative control in Bollywood nearly two decades after the film’s release.