Taapsee Pannu is one of the finest talents of the generation and there's no doubting the fact. She has earned accolades in regional as well as mainstream Bollywood cinema which just goes to prove the incredible talent she posses. In the last few years, we've seen a substantial change in the choice of her films. The actress has opted for socially relevant characters and her picks have definitely paid off. We got in conversation with the actress to know more about her perception about films. Scroll below and read what she had to say.
It’s been almost a decade for you in the movies. How have you coped with the sexism, misogyny and all of that?
I faced some really weird things in the beginning like she isn’t pretty enough. I’ve been replaced because the hero’s wife didn’t want me to be part of the film. I was dubbing for one of my films and I was told that the hero didn’t like my dialogue so I should change it. When I refused to change it, they got a dubbing artiste to do it behind my back. There was a time when I was told the hero’s previous film didn’t work, so you slash your price because we need to control the budget. There was some hero who wanted my introduction scene changed because he felt it would overpower his introduction scene. These are the things that have happened in front of me, I don’t know what’s happened behind my back. I decided that from now on, I will only take up films that will make me genuinely happy to go to work. People advised me against it because there might be a point of no return. Whenever a girl has tried to do women-driven films there’s a tag that’s attached to her and male stars are then hesitant to take her as their leading lady. It might be a little harder, longer journey but it’s going to be one that I’m going to enjoy each day. It has worked out till now.
You’ve been active on social media in terms of saying something you really believe in. Sometimes, do you feel it would have been better if there were no social media?
I like to see the brighter side of things. But, obviously, there are moments where I’m frustrated and irritated thinking why the hell do we have to be here? But becuse of a few bad things that come on social media, I’m not going to give up on the good.
Every one of us is depressed or low at some point. Have you ever gone through something where you had to seek therapy or meet a councillor?
I had these articles written about me saying how I’m a bad luck charm. I just kept thinking that this is not the end of my life. So what if this didn’t work? I’m an engineer, and I can still do my MBA. The problem is that hope gets killed not just by your own sadness, but also by the hate you are surrounded by and give in to. Social media has generated so much hate, I call it illusional hate. Illusional because it is virtual. When I had gone to the Maldives, it was after six-seven months of sitting at home, where your only medium of talking to people was social media and you saw so much hate day in day out that you started believing there’s so much hatred everywhere. But I almost teared up with the kind of love those people showered over me in Maldives, It made me realise the difference between virtual and real.
How does this seven month forced sabbatical feel to you? Do you feel this is like a second coming for all of us?
I hope it is. I don’t know the elasticity of the human mind if it’ll instantly snap back to how it was or it’ll learn and change from whatever it has experienced. I just know that nothing lasts forever and no plan is foolproof. It already feels like it was a weird dream or sleep paralysis that I was in for those five-six months. I want to move beyond it. I still have the notes of my recipes. I still have the YouTube links of those recipes which keep reminding me that it happened for real, where I was standing in the kitchen for like 5-6 hours everyday cooking all the three meals.
When you went on the sets for the first time after the pandemic, were you worried that you might contract the illness?
I was worried if I could still act. You know because it’s like a muscle. You don’t exercise the muscle, it rusts. I chose a Tamil film to get back with. I didn’t speak Tamil for like the longest time ever. So, I was worried. But then it went fine. That was the only worry, not the illness.
What are your biggest pointers that make you say yes to a film?
Will I spend my hard-earned money and time in the theatre watching this film purely as an audience? Will I have a nice time on the set? Will I learn something new? Will I have fun with the character? With the people, I’m working with in the film? Will I be proud to show this film to my kids? All the films I’ve done in Hindi at least in the last three years fit into this criteria.
Tell us something about your upcoming films - Rashmi Rocket and Haseen Dilruba.
Haseen Dilruba is a romantic thriller, Kanika Dhillon, who wrote Manmarziyaan, has written it, so you can expect a lot of crazy characters. Rashmi Rocket is a film that is inspired by several true events which have happened in sports. I’m playing a sprinter so most of it is inspired from a sprinter’s life. Someone wanted me to do this film in Tamil. I read the script and felt this is a story that should be told to the whole country. That’s when I got a producer on board to pick up the script and then got it written as a pan-Indian film. Apart from that, I’m doing the Hollywood film Run Lola Run’s adaptation in Hindi which is called Loop Lapeta. It’s a quirky modern-age thriller comedy.
When you did a two-heroine film, there was talk you’d be clawing each other’s eyes out...
I have not seen anyone clawing at the other nor I have done it myself. In Saand Ki Aankh, it was a totally opposite scenario especially for me. I remember writing a long mushy message to her (Bhumi Pednekar). Telling her that we both know what we’re trying to attempt here is crazy. And from the looks of it not many would have had the courage to get into it because we knew how many people said no to our roles before we got into it. The kind of chemistry we had was not only visible on the screen, but people also spoke about it to us off-screen as well. They had never seen two actresses promoting their film like we did. We both gave it all we had. All those things of fighting with each other, I don’t know from where it started and what really gave them air. My personal experience of working with actress be it Bhumi or even Jacqueline Fernandez in Judwaa 2 or even in Thappad, I had so many women who were around but none of this ever happened.
Take a Manmarziyaan and Thappad. There is a big change in your body language. How do you achieve that kind of metamorphosis?
Manmarziyaan required instability in the head, mind and body language. Thappad required an extremely stable mind and body to pull off the role. Obviously, it’s the actor’s job to deliver both the extremes. I’ve led a normal life in a regular household where I’ve seen these kinds of characters around in person. My upbringing has made it really easy for me to play these real characters.
There is talk that you’re doing a film with Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani directing it.
The day I sign the film, I will be on my roof shouting and screaming. Who doesn’t want to romance Shah Rukh Khan? He was my producer for Badla. He’s the most charming man I’ve ever come across. Even though I had very limited interactions with him on very limited occasions... but some people have that charm… he has that. I think if I get the chance to share the screen with him, I’ll just be looking at him and admiring him in between shots... And Rajkumar Hirani… I will be shouting from my terrace the day I sign it. But until something is confirmed, I’m not going to talk about it.
What about Mr Bachchan? Are you doing a third film with him?
I feel blessed that I’ve got the chance to work with him twice. When you think about an Amitabh Bachchan film early in your career, you think it’ll be an Amitabh Bachchan film. To get some pretty substantial parts to play opposite or next to him is a big deal. I think the chemistry works best because I’ve switched off the button in my head that he is the Amitabh Bachchan. I treat him like any other young co-star, be it Vicky Kaushal or Varun Dhawan. I don’t treat him like a demi-god, he doesn’t treat me like someone who isn’t from his generation. We end up having a good conversation sitting next to each other. That really brings out the best in both of us. The most important thing I learnt was you’re never too old to learn. He just keeps evolving every year. His dedication towards trying to explore new kinds of stories and genres, at this age, when he could just relax is something that most of us in today’s generation can learn from.
Have you had any out of body experience while acting? Has it changed you somewhere?
I discovered a new side of me when I was doing Pink. Before Pink, I always used to say I will never be able to cry on camera. When I started working for Pink, I didn’t use glycerine at all. I just brainwashed myself into thinking that that incident has happened to me. Then, every scene came naturally. All that choking up was natural. I’ve been trying to push the envelope ever since.
It’s been almost a decade for you in the movies. How have you coped with the sexism, misogyny and all of that?
I faced some really weird things in the beginning like she isn’t pretty enough. I’ve been replaced because the hero’s wife didn’t want me to be part of the film. I was dubbing for one of my films and I was told that the hero didn’t like my dialogue so I should change it. When I refused to change it, they got a dubbing artiste to do it behind my back. There was a time when I was told the hero’s previous film didn’t work, so you slash your price because we need to control the budget. There was some hero who wanted my introduction scene changed because he felt it would overpower his introduction scene. These are the things that have happened in front of me, I don’t know what’s happened behind my back. I decided that from now on, I will only take up films that will make me genuinely happy to go to work. People advised me against it because there might be a point of no return. Whenever a girl has tried to do women-driven films there’s a tag that’s attached to her and male stars are then hesitant to take her as their leading lady. It might be a little harder, longer journey but it’s going to be one that I’m going to enjoy each day. It has worked out till now.
You’ve been active on social media in terms of saying something you really believe in. Sometimes, do you feel it would have been better if there were no social media?
I like to see the brighter side of things. But, obviously, there are moments where I’m frustrated and irritated thinking why the hell do we have to be here? But becuse of a few bad things that come on social media, I’m not going to give up on the good.
Every one of us is depressed or low at some point. Have you ever gone through something where you had to seek therapy or meet a councillor?
I had these articles written about me saying how I’m a bad luck charm. I just kept thinking that this is not the end of my life. So what if this didn’t work? I’m an engineer, and I can still do my MBA. The problem is that hope gets killed not just by your own sadness, but also by the hate you are surrounded by and give in to. Social media has generated so much hate, I call it illusional hate. Illusional because it is virtual. When I had gone to the Maldives, it was after six-seven months of sitting at home, where your only medium of talking to people was social media and you saw so much hate day in day out that you started believing there’s so much hatred everywhere. But I almost teared up with the kind of love those people showered over me in Maldives, It made me realise the difference between virtual and real.
How does this seven month forced sabbatical feel to you? Do you feel this is like a second coming for all of us?
I hope it is. I don’t know the elasticity of the human mind if it’ll instantly snap back to how it was or it’ll learn and change from whatever it has experienced. I just know that nothing lasts forever and no plan is foolproof. It already feels like it was a weird dream or sleep paralysis that I was in for those five-six months. I want to move beyond it. I still have the notes of my recipes. I still have the YouTube links of those recipes which keep reminding me that it happened for real, where I was standing in the kitchen for like 5-6 hours everyday cooking all the three meals.
When you went on the sets for the first time after the pandemic, were you worried that you might contract the illness?
I was worried if I could still act. You know because it’s like a muscle. You don’t exercise the muscle, it rusts. I chose a Tamil film to get back with. I didn’t speak Tamil for like the longest time ever. So, I was worried. But then it went fine. That was the only worry, not the illness.
What are your biggest pointers that make you say yes to a film?
Will I spend my hard-earned money and time in the theatre watching this film purely as an audience? Will I have a nice time on the set? Will I learn something new? Will I have fun with the character? With the people, I’m working with in the film? Will I be proud to show this film to my kids? All the films I’ve done in Hindi at least in the last three years fit into this criteria.
Tell us something about your upcoming films - Rashmi Rocket and Haseen Dilruba.
Haseen Dilruba is a romantic thriller, Kanika Dhillon, who wrote Manmarziyaan, has written it, so you can expect a lot of crazy characters. Rashmi Rocket is a film that is inspired by several true events which have happened in sports. I’m playing a sprinter so most of it is inspired from a sprinter’s life. Someone wanted me to do this film in Tamil. I read the script and felt this is a story that should be told to the whole country. That’s when I got a producer on board to pick up the script and then got it written as a pan-Indian film. Apart from that, I’m doing the Hollywood film Run Lola Run’s adaptation in Hindi which is called Loop Lapeta. It’s a quirky modern-age thriller comedy.
When you did a two-heroine film, there was talk you’d be clawing each other’s eyes out...
I have not seen anyone clawing at the other nor I have done it myself. In Saand Ki Aankh, it was a totally opposite scenario especially for me. I remember writing a long mushy message to her (Bhumi Pednekar). Telling her that we both know what we’re trying to attempt here is crazy. And from the looks of it not many would have had the courage to get into it because we knew how many people said no to our roles before we got into it. The kind of chemistry we had was not only visible on the screen, but people also spoke about it to us off-screen as well. They had never seen two actresses promoting their film like we did. We both gave it all we had. All those things of fighting with each other, I don’t know from where it started and what really gave them air. My personal experience of working with actress be it Bhumi or even Jacqueline Fernandez in Judwaa 2 or even in Thappad, I had so many women who were around but none of this ever happened.
Take a Manmarziyaan and Thappad. There is a big change in your body language. How do you achieve that kind of metamorphosis?
Manmarziyaan required instability in the head, mind and body language. Thappad required an extremely stable mind and body to pull off the role. Obviously, it’s the actor’s job to deliver both the extremes. I’ve led a normal life in a regular household where I’ve seen these kinds of characters around in person. My upbringing has made it really easy for me to play these real characters.
There is talk that you’re doing a film with Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani directing it.
The day I sign the film, I will be on my roof shouting and screaming. Who doesn’t want to romance Shah Rukh Khan? He was my producer for Badla. He’s the most charming man I’ve ever come across. Even though I had very limited interactions with him on very limited occasions... but some people have that charm… he has that. I think if I get the chance to share the screen with him, I’ll just be looking at him and admiring him in between shots... And Rajkumar Hirani… I will be shouting from my terrace the day I sign it. But until something is confirmed, I’m not going to talk about it.
What about Mr Bachchan? Are you doing a third film with him?
I feel blessed that I’ve got the chance to work with him twice. When you think about an Amitabh Bachchan film early in your career, you think it’ll be an Amitabh Bachchan film. To get some pretty substantial parts to play opposite or next to him is a big deal. I think the chemistry works best because I’ve switched off the button in my head that he is the Amitabh Bachchan. I treat him like any other young co-star, be it Vicky Kaushal or Varun Dhawan. I don’t treat him like a demi-god, he doesn’t treat me like someone who isn’t from his generation. We end up having a good conversation sitting next to each other. That really brings out the best in both of us. The most important thing I learnt was you’re never too old to learn. He just keeps evolving every year. His dedication towards trying to explore new kinds of stories and genres, at this age, when he could just relax is something that most of us in today’s generation can learn from.
Have you had any out of body experience while acting? Has it changed you somewhere?
I discovered a new side of me when I was doing Pink. Before Pink, I always used to say I will never be able to cry on camera. When I started working for Pink, I didn’t use glycerine at all. I just brainwashed myself into thinking that that incident has happened to me. Then, every scene came naturally. All that choking up was natural. I’ve been trying to push the envelope ever since.
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