Gautami Kapoor is disappointed. The actor, who featured in the recently released Satyameva Jayate 2 (SJ2), says that after Sooryavanshi’s box office collections, the SJ2 team was hopeful that “audiences would come to the theatres”.

“SJ2 had a slow start and it is disheartening to see that after working so hard amid the pandemic, critics write off films and readers form opinions based on those. I was feeling bad for the film as it was a team effort and all of us had put in a lot,” says Kapoor, who is glad that her “decent part in SJ2 was appreciated”. She urges people to follow safety protocols and go watch movies, in theatres “now that things have opened up”.

The actor, admits that though SJ2 might not be “intelligent cinema”, “we have touched upon topical and real issues”. She adds, “I feel the pandemic has made the audiences harsher and now they are not willing to give a chance. Why actors don’t get their due, even after working so hard, is baffling.”

Impressed with her co-star John Abraham’s dedication and professionalism, Kapoor says, “I can’t tell you how inspired and motivated I was watching John on the sets. He is such a huge star, but he is so humble. Today, with advanced visual effects, there is no need for any actor to put himself in risky situations. We watch Hollywood films like Mission Impossible films or Bond films and rave about the over-the-top action and find the stunts convincing. But when a Hindi film hero does the same, be it Akshay Kumar or John, we say ‘what crap’. It’s unfair.”

Professionally, the Special Ops 1.5 actor admits, she is in a good space. “Since SJ2’s release, I have got some good offers, including an exciting web show,” she ends.