The highs and lows of Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu's career

Gulf News

In an exclusive interview, the top star talks about climbing the ladder on her terms.  Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/3JC5OuM  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #Bollywood #TaapseePannu #India

Transcript

00:00I'm doing so many films, if they are not able to get enough space in media then I should just pack my bags and go home.

00:07If I have to buy space to make the presence of my films felt, that means your films are not doing the talking enough.

00:14That means that you need to really rethink of what kind of films you are doing.

00:20Ideally in our world, the first question you are asked after knowing which film are you doing is who's the hero?

00:26So, they wanted to know who the hero is. As I said because the budget is allocated based on your hero.

00:33So, that's where those questions came.

00:36But also having said that, it's nice that first the actress is cast and then the male actor because

00:43I'm not denying Vikrant Massey's talent, he's brilliant but I'm just saying it's amazing for the first time,

00:49like the women are cast first because for years it's been hero, who is the

00:56See, it's like who gets in the money?

01:01As I said the sad rule of the game is who gets in the money and then who is the fulcrum of the film?

01:08So, in most of my films, I don't remember I think maybe only one or two of films of mine in last 3-4 years are such where I'm cast later.

01:18So, because most of the films end up being around my character.

01:21So, they want to cast the female first to just know accordingly we will cast the other actors

01:28because if she is the protagonist of the film for us, we will cast other actors, bases who is playing that protagonist.

01:35So, that's why most of my, in my case I have been casted first and then you know actors have been approached.

01:43Why do you think that you know that filmmakers come to you with strong subjects?

01:47Have you ever thought of it, you don't make a lot of noise, you just let your movies do the talking.

01:52You have never been the type to go around, I don't see you doing that in parties and elsewhere

01:57but your movies make an impact. How do you keep that, how do you ensure that?

02:02Like it's not easy right in Bollywood where it's all about hobnobbing, being seen with the right people, you don't do that.

02:08I have been seen with the right people, I have struggled with that since the beginning when I had certain people in the beginning of my career.

02:14I was very vulnerable at that point telling me that you know you should do this, you should do that.

02:19Someone who came from a background where I never wanted to become an actor or a star.

02:23I just took every day as and when it came.

02:27I did not understand this way of stardom of being seen with the right people.

02:32So, I kind of struggled to wrap my head around that how is it, how will my self-respect allow me to you know do that

02:39where I have to force myself into a group where probably I am not welcomed enough

02:43or they don't even know me.

02:45So, at that time also I remember I refused to attend events after you know my debut.

02:49I just stopped going to any events also because I started feeling like I'm not welcomed enough.

02:54They're looking at me like someone who's like forcing her presence there.

02:58Even though I had done considerable amount of work in South which at that time was not recognized in Hindi.

03:04Today you can see the South stars are loved and respected here.

03:0710 years back when I started I was seen as a rank newcomer

03:11and they did not even like blink an eyelid about my any of my South films.

03:19My first film in Tamil had won six national awards.

03:22I was launched by Raghavendra Rao who launched Sridevi and Jasba and all these big female actors.

03:29So, my second film was Prabhas who's supposed to be the big pan India star right now.

03:35So, you know after doing all that I had to start from scratch.

03:38At that time I was seen as a rank newcomer, struggler who's trying to make her way through.

03:42So, I thought okay let them know my work profile a little bit in few years in Hindi

03:47and then I'll be probably loved and respected enough and given enough space

03:51which I was eventually after Pink and all came out.

03:54And then post that I am slightly lazy that way in my personal life.

04:00Little laid back where I have my bunch of people who I am extremely comfortable with

04:08and I have a problem now opening up to newer bunch because I feel like I don't know

04:13they want to be like they're okay to have me in because of the public persona that I have

04:21or because the person I am. So, it becomes very difficult to gauge that

04:26and I don't want to be in that detective mode of trying to find out are they like,

04:32do they like me as a person and that's why they're letting me in

04:35or they just feel that I am a saleable persona right now so they are letting me in.

04:40So, I don't want to be in that stressed mindset as to I don't know like this or like that.

04:45So, I have this huge bunch of people and my social circle is pretty big courtesy people

04:52outside the film industry that I hang out with.

04:54I have never understood people like every time I did any kind of debut made in South,

04:59made in Hindi, any of my biggies in Hindi they're like why not doing enough PR around it

05:03but I am doing. I have a PR agency. I am doing whatever regular PR agency does

05:09but I can't force make news that is not true or I can't like just like buy spaces for myself

05:17to make sound. I mean I am doing so many films if they are not able to get enough space in media

05:24then I should just pack my bags and go home. If I have to buy space to make the presence of

05:30my films felt that means your films are not doing the talking enough. That means that you

05:35need to really re-think of what kind of films you are doing. So, that is why I don't really

05:41make that forced sound of my work and I think the kind of films I do eventually I am making

05:48a very stable base of audience who you know probably now realise that I deserve their

05:56trust where the films are concerned. It might be that tortoise and hare race that might be

06:04happening. I don't mind being that tortoise. I always knew I will have to be that tortoise

06:10because in this industry when you shoot up too fast you fall down too fast. So, I am okay

06:17yeah that I am really scared of that fall, sudden fall. So, I am okay with this one separate

06:23time rise which is serving me totally fine.

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