Taapsee Pannu Opens Up About the Professional Costs of Her Candid Nature
Known for her bold on-screen roles and unfiltered real-life persona, Taapsee Pannu has consistently spoken her mind, a trait that she admits has occasionally backfired in her career. In a recent interview, the actress delved into whether her straightforwardness has become a barrier to securing job opportunities in the competitive Bollywood industry.
Lost Opportunities Due to Prejudgments
Taapsee Pannu revealed that her candid approach has led to situations where people make decisions against her upfront, effectively costing her chances before they even materialize. She explained that she often learns about these missed opportunities indirectly, through rumors or second-hand information. "I honestly didn't get to know about it firsthand," she said. "It just gets like, someone is like, 'No, no, I don't want to work with her because so and so reason.' And then, the thing never reached you itself, so you don't get to know about it."
Heroes Influencing Casting Choices
Further elaborating, Taapsee highlighted that at times, lead actors specifically avoid working with her. She pointed out that in films centered around a hero-heroine dynamic, the hero often holds significant sway over casting decisions, unless the director is a major star in their own right. "What I get to know about is only things like, sometimes the hero doesn't want you to be in the film," she shared. "I think everybody knows, heroes decide... In a film that has a hero-heroine, most of the times, unless you have a director who is like the biggest star... Because some directors are star directors, and when they say they want someone, they want to take someone."
Surprise Casting in 'Dunki' with Shah Rukh Khan
A notable exception to this trend was her casting in the film 'Dunki', where she starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Taapsee expressed her astonishment at this opportunity, attributing it to director Rajkumar Hirani's unwavering confidence in her. "So like, for example, when Raju sir wanted me in the film (Dunki), I was in the film," she recalled. "It might just be a big shock for everybody because I'm not in the quintessential circuit of those kind of films or Shah Rukh sir's regular pair onscreen. So it was a pretty shock, big shock for a lot of people, I feel. But that was because the director was so sure that he wanted me."
Countering the 'Difficult' Label
Addressing rumors that she is difficult to work with, Taapsee firmly countered this perception by pointing to her filmography. She noted that many directors have cast her multiple times, which she argues would not happen if she were truly problematic. "I sometimes hear that I'm a little too difficult to work with, and I fail to understand that because anyone who opens my filmography can see that the directors who worked with me have repeated me, and that cannot happen with someone who is difficult to work with," she asserted. "Nobody wants trouble again and again. The people who have not worked with me are the ones who say that because they probably don't know me, and I'm not a very social person. So I can't go out there to show up how I really am. So I think I let my work do the talking, which is slightly harder route, but I think I'm saner that way."
Latest Project: 'Assi' in Theaters
On the professional front, Taapsee Pannu's latest film, 'Assi', is currently running in theaters. Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the movie also features Kani Kusruti in a lead role, showcasing Taapsee's continued presence in diverse and impactful projects.
