The Kabir Singhs and the Chulbul Pandeys of Indian cinema got a Thappad on their faces: a slap that is ringing through the male-dominated Bollywood and its storylines. The Hindi film industry’s glamorous feminist, Taapsee Pannu, who made her debut with the Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam in 2010, has not shied away from films that question patriarchy. She debuted in Bollywood in 2012 with Chashme Baddoor, but it would be another four years before the cinema-going public, the critics and the industry sat up and took notice of her for her turn in Pink as an independent woman who takes on the system after being molested. Taapsee had finally arrived. Not one to mince words, the actor says, “When I entered the industry, many believed I wouldn’t come this far. I was the dark horse nobody bothered to notice for the longest time and nobody had any expectations of.”
Pink went on to do a worldwide business of Rs 89 crore, almost unbelievable for a newbie. A computer science engineer, Taapsee took to modelling for pocket money. In fact, this powerhouse actor auditioned for the Femina Miss India pageant when she was 20 and was eliminated in the first round. The film industry was no cake walk either. Rejected by countless filmmakers, she moved to the South before slowly graduating back to Hindi cinema. Courage, professionalism and a rebellious in-your-face attitude set her apart. Actor Vijay Varma, who worked with her in her career-defining film Pink, remembers, “We had a rape scene together. We were three boys with one girl in the car with a three camera set-up. There was no crew member in the car. She took charge of giving the claps in the car and thanks to her professionalism we got the scene in the first take. It was a trying scene but Taapsee made it easy for all of us.”
A rebel by nature, her choice of films doesn’t really surprise those who know her. “I have always been a rebellious child and I think that reflects in my films too. I always argued with my parents. If ever I was told not to do something I wanted to know the reason for it. My mother would often say: ‘ek chup sau sukh’ (one silence, a 100 joys). That sentence still irritates me. Even today I tell my directors to explain to me why the characters are based in a particular manner. If the reasoning is right I will keep quiet, else I argue.” Progressive and relevant are her calling cards.
From playing the role of Shabana Khan in Naam Shabana where she is trained by the Indian intelligence agency to become a ruthless killer to her turn as 80-year-old sharpshooter Prakashi Tomar in Saand ki Aankh—for which she bagged the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress recently—Taapsee has proved time and again that she is not afraid to step out of her comfort zone. Filmmaker Neeraj Pandey, who worked with her in Baby and Naam Shabana, says, “Taapsee is highly talented and her film choices have always been good. After I saw her performance during the edit of Baby, it occurred to me that we should have more of her and so the film Naam Shabana came about.”
While filmmakers and co-stars alike praise her, she herself is far from satisfied with what she has achieved. Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar calls her an “unpolluted star” and her latest film has consolidated her position in Bollywood as the hero of the film. In fact, she recently completed a decade in the profession. Yet the actor says she does not feel secure or comfortable in the industry even today. In an industry where actors come, make a splash and sometimes vanish into oblivion, it takes special talent and a godfather or two to stay put. Unless, of course, you are blessed with the nepotism wand. But for rank outsiders, the struggle is real. And for a woman at that, who is bold, brazen and outspoken, the going couldn’t have been tougher. Taapsee says, “I am an outsider and I feel afraid as I am not familiar with the industry. If my films don’t do well, I’m worried no one will care for me and then I may not get a chance again.”
Her recent film Thappad—which talks of how a woman can lose respect in a marriage even though the relationship may seem normal to an outsider—is doing a decent business at the box office and most importantly is encouraging conversation around respect for women. The actor couldn’t have followed the motto ‘walk the talk’ more aptly. “Marriage, they say, is about compromises. I will go to certain lengths to save a relationship but I will not compromise on respect. There’s love only when there’s respect,” she says. Sometimes called the female version of Ayushmann Khurrana, given her choice of socially relevant films, Taapsee is far from impressed with the comparison.
“Why a female version of Ayushmann Khurrana? Why isn’t being a Taapsee Pannu enough?” she asks, yet again confronting the patriarchal attitude of Bollywood. Needless to say, this actor is a firm believer in feminism, which she defines as “equal rights and opportunities”. “I don’t want anything extra because I am a female. Credit me for my talent and don’t devoid me of an equal opportunity. That’s all I expect from people,” she asserts. Maybe this core feminist belief makes her choose largely women-centric films. An avid squash player, one of her upcoming films is all about sports—Shabaash Mithu. Directed by Rahul Dholakia, this biopic sees her essaying the role of Mithali Raj, former captain of the Indian women’s national cricket team. Taapsee posted on her Instagram account: “I have always been asked who’s your favourite male cricketer, but you should ask them who their favourite female cricketer is.”
A self-taught actor, she admits she did not seriously give acting a thought until after her first film down south. Before Jhummandi Naadam had released, the acting bug had bitten her and she had already signed three more films. Taapsee realised that she needed to seriously pick up the finer nuances of acting and it could no longer be a one-off thing. “I learnt by observing my co-actors and directors,” she says. In an industry that repeatedly portrays women as glamour dolls with the men dictating terms, there are hardly any women who dare to go against the tide, except maybe Vidya Balan, who has been missing from the scene for a long time, or ‘tantrum queen’ Kangana Ranaut.
Maybe it is the scarcity of challenging roles or maybe the big male stars need some macho mood-lifting, but that is what Bollywood caters to. Slowly with mainstream cinema perched on the cusp of change, a parallel cinematic universe has taken shape. Filmmakers are no longer afraid of delivering stories that confront serious subjects and actors such as Taapsee suddenly find themselves flooded with offers that question male patriarchy. And with more such roles, come comparisons. Critics say that Taapsee is the Vidya of today, which the Thappad actor considers a huge compliment as she looks up to the Kahaani actor. In fact, to be complemented by Vidya herself was “the moment” for her, says Taapsee. “She is the one whom I look up to. She said, ‘If there has been a film after Arth which has hit me so hard it has been Thappad.’ I was overwhelmed with the compliment.”
Taapsee’s journey in Bollywood picked up speed 2018 onwards. Billed as a bankable actor who could essay difficult roles and expertly carry a film on her able shoulders, she wowed critics and fans alike with films such as Soorma—a sports biopic based on the life of hockey player Sandeep Singh opposite Diljit Dosanjh—and the ensemble cast Mission Mangal. But three films in 2018-19 that really catapulted her as one of the most sought-after actors in the country were Rishi Kapoor-starrer Mulk, Abhishek Bachchan and Vicky Kaushal-starrer Manmarziyaan and Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Badla. The social drama Mulk—helmed by one of her favourite directors, Anubhav Sinha—saw her again take on societal issues.
Taapsee plays a Hindu lawyer who represents her Muslim in-laws in their fight to reclaim their honour. In a complete contrast, Manmarziyaan had her portray a Delhi girl torn between her lover and her husband. In fact, filmmaker Karan Johar was so impressed that he tweeted: “@tapseepannu holds the strings of her layered character like an absolute veteran! Bravo!!!” While KJo may have gone ga-ga praising Taapsee, he made no offer of a film to Taapsee from his stable, nor did he invite her for a cuppa on his show, Koffee with Karan. Ironically, when stand-up comedian Vir Das joked during a Koffee with Karan episode that the set of the talk show was so pink that Taapsee might want to star in it, the actor in her trademark style tweeted: “Hahahahha nice one. Just that Taapsee still doesn’t qualify to be there.” Well, all one can say is Karan’s loss is Sujoy Ghosh’s gain, whose Badla had Taapsee essay the role of a murderer who plays the victim card to fool the authorities and finally gets caught in her own web of lies.
It is not as if it’s only in the Hindi cinematic world that Taapsee has made her mark. In fact, her second film in the South—Aadukalam opposite Dhanush—went on to win six National Awards.
Sujoy, who directed her in Badla, says, “Taapsee is one of the most transparent people I have ever come across. She speaks her mind.” Little wonder that unlike most run-of-the-mill stuff being churned by Bollywood, her films raise uncomfortable questions. Be it an urbanesque Pink or a Saand ki Aankh with its rural panorama, they all push forward the narrative of the strong, independent and feisty woman, who knows what she wants and is unapologetic about it. But then, all this comes with a catch. The only big names in Bollywood she has worked with in her decade-old career are Akshay Kumar in Baby, Naam Shabana and Mission Mangal, and Amitabh Bachchan in Pink and Badla.
Doesn’t she miss working with A-listers? “It’s true I haven’t worked with a lot of people yet. I am hoping I will have a long run in the industry which will help me cover a lot of actors I want to work with. It’s not like my career will not go forward without them. But yes, I would want to share screen space with the people I have grown up admiring,” she says. She stresses that her ultimate goal is to become a bankable actor and believes that both the filmmaker and the audience should get their money’s worth. “That is when I can be officially called a star,” she smiles. At the same time, she confesses that she is a huge fan of Hrithik Roshan and will “wait and conspire” to ensure she gets to work with him someday.
For someone who claims that she does not consider herself glamorous, she tried her hand at a typically Bollywoodish fare with Judwaa 2. Filmmaker David Dhawan zeroed in on her as he found her “very expressive and wanted her to do a commercial film”. “I want to do glamorous roles, too. I want to be challenged, else it becomes stagnant. I want to do larger than life roles and run round trees and sing songs,” she laughs, when asked whether we would see her in a glamorous avatar again. Glamorous role or not, Taapsee is fast evolving as a fashionista. She confesses that from default jeans-Tee, she tried to become a diva once she entered the film industry and the entire effort backfired. She needed rescue and turned to her sister-in-law based out of the US. Soon, Taapsee was sporting upcoming fashion labels such as Pankaj and Nidhi, Sahil Kochhar, Gaurika Sharma and more that complimented her quirky style and made her personality shine through. “You will no longer catch me in some bizarre outfit,” she says confidently. Like most outsiders to the industry, Taapsee’s family too had inhibitions about her joining the big, bad world of Bollywood. Her father, she says, was not happy with her decision and wanted her to study further, and today the proud daddy manages her finances.
At an event by the International Film Festival in Goa, an audience member asked Taapsee to speak in Hindi as she was a Hindi film actor. Not to be outdone, the sassy actor shot back: “I can speak in Hindi, but can everyone here understand Hindi? I have also worked in the Tamil and Telugu film industry, so should I speak in those languages too?” Proficient in many tongues, but the message is the same: Taapsee has arrived and is here to stay.
She said it
“I am an outsider and I feel afraid as I am not familiar with the industry. If my films don’t do well, I’m worried no one will care for me and then I may not get a chance again.”
“I don’t want anything extra because I am a female. Credit me for my talent and don’t devoid me of an equal opportunity. That’s all I expect from people.”
“I haven’t worked with a lot of people yet. It’s not like my career will not go forward without them. But yes, I would want to share screen space with the people I have grown up admiring.”