Taapsee Pannu discusses why she loves movies like Haseen Dilruba (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Taapsee Pannu is one of the leading Bollywood actresses today. Having made her debut in the Hindi film industry nearly a decade back, the actor has established herself as one of the most prominent female actors in the Hindi film industry.
Last year, Taapsee was part of Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki, where she played the second lead for Shah Rukh Khan. The film was a huge box-office success, grossing over Rs 458. 69 crores worldwide.
Her recent women-centric film was a Netflix release, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, a sequel to her thriller-romance Haseen Dillruba, released in 2021. The film received decent reviews from the critics, with many exceptionally praising Taapsee for her performance.
What more can an actress ask for? However, Tapsee Pannu feels odd in these big-star movies. She says she feels more valued when watching movies like Haseen Dilruba over Dunki because these women-centric films fetch her more money than multi-star blockbuster movies like Dunki.
In an interview with Screen recently, Taapsee said that people think she gets paid more when she does movies like Dunki or Judwa, but the reality is contrary. She mentioned that big-budget movies don’t pay well because the makers think that the film already has a big star’s name attached to it, so they don’t like to invest too much in other stars.
“Funnily, people think I do films like Judwaa or Dunki for money, that I get paid a lot. But no, it is the opposite– I get paid to do more for films that I headlined, like Haseen Dilruba, and other films don’t pay me much because they feel they are doing a favor by taking me up in that kind of a film. They feel, ‘There is already a big hero; why do we need anybody else for that?’ I fight these notions daily,” Indian Express quoted Taapsee Pannu.
She further stated that it is a huge struggle for her to get roles in big movies because the actors have a final say in which heroine should be cast. Taapse also mentioned that the director gets to decide on the female star only if he is a “super successful director” with an audience of his own.
The Haseen Dilruba actor said that actors tend to pick actresses more in trend, grabbing the audience’s attention. They also note that sometimes, the actors tend to avoid heroines who they think can overshadow them. “Some are secure, others think, ‘Let me cast someone who will not overshadow me,” the Hasseen Dillruba actor said.
She also mentioned that the casting call is not limited to films, and male actors also have a say in who the female actors will be while endorsing brands. These things made her “angry.”
Taapsee’s last release was Khel Khel Mein, a multi-star project featuring Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, and Vaani Kapoor. The film, however, tanked at the box office, grossing merely Rs 57 crore worldwide. Her upcoming project is Gandhari, a new movie with writer-producer Kanika Dhillon, who wrote Haseen Dillruba and Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba.
