Sridevi’s daughter Janhvi turns 21

Mumbai, March 6 (IANS) As Janhvi Kapoor, the elder daughter of veteran actress Sridevi whose sudden demise in Dubai last month left her family and fans in shock and disbelief, turned 21 on Tuesday. Her cousin Sonam Kapoor called her the "strongest girl".

"To one of the strongest girls I know, who became a woman today. Happy birthday Jannu. Janhvi Kapoor, 21st birthday," Sonam captioned a smiling image of Janhvi, who is her uncle Boney Kapoor's daughter.

Manish Malhotra, whose creations have been flaunted by Janhvi on multiple occasions and who was also one of Sridevi's favourite designers, also shared a cherished photograph with the mother-daughter duo.

"Happy Birthday my dearest Janhvi Kapoor. May God bless you with happiness, love, peace and just everything," Malhotra wrote.

Janhvi is slated to make her Bollywood debut with "Dhadak", produced by Karan Johar. It is a launchpad Sridevi was most excited about. The late actress had told IANS last year that she was confident that her daughter is ready to take on the challenges that the industry will throw at her.

But as fate would have it, Sridevi won't be by Janhvi's side when "Dhadak" releases in July.

Nevertheless, as Janhvi put in an emotional note on Instagram last week, she is feeling a "gnawing hollowness" within her.

The elder of Sridevi and Boney's two daughters, Janhvi opened up only after a week of grappling with the news of her mother's demise due to accidental drowning in a Dubai hotel's bathtub on February 24.

"On my birthday, the only thing I ask of all of you is that you love your parents. Cherish them and devote yourself to making them feel that love. They have made you. And I ask that you remember my mother fondly, pray for her soul to rest in peace," she wrote.

Now as Janhvi steps into films with "Dhadak", she has said she is only going to work towards making her mother "proud".

"Every morning, all that I would do was (wake up) with the hope that one day you'd be as proud of me as I was of you. But I promise I'll wake up every day with the same thought. Because you're here and I can feel you."