Janhvi Kapoor was born on 6 March 1997. Her father is Boney Kapoor, the son of the late filmmaker Surinder Kapoor, and the founder of the Anil Kapoor Films Company.

Janhvi Kapoor mother is actress Sridevi, titled the "First Female Superstar" of Indian cinema and one of its most influential actresses.

Janhvi Kapoor is the niece of film actors Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor.

Janhvi Kapoor has one younger sister, Khushi, and two half siblings, actor Arjun Kapoor and Anshula Kapoor from her father's first marriage.

Kapoor made her acting debut in 2018 with the Shashank Khaitan-directed romance Dhadak, co-starring Ishaan Khatter.

Kapoor studied at Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai. Before making her film debut, she took an acting course from Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in California.

Kapoor lost her mother at age 21, when she was found dead of an accidental drowning in her guest room at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

In 2021, Kapoor played a dual role opposite Rajkummar Rao in the comedy horror film Roohi. The film was theatrically released in India on 11 March 2021 after several delays due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kapoor will next star in Good Luck Jerry, a Hindi adaptation of the 2018 Tamil film Kolamavu Kokila, produced by Aanand L. Rai.