Taapsee: Never been offered conventional roles

Bollywood's stellar performer Taapsee Pannu seems to not mince words, even if it meant about stating facts about her career.

The actress openly admitted that she would not have had a career like hers if women-centric films had not been made, further also adding that she has never been offered roles that of conventional and quintessential Bollywood heroines.

Talking about women centric movies being made in the industry, Taapsee in an exclusive interview with media said, “I wouldn't have had a career like mine if such films hadn't been made. Some people had the courage to make it and some people had the courage to watch it. So, that's why actors like me are still working a little. Some years are good, some are not.”

The actress said the industry has come a long way in terms of the frequency of female-led films, while admitting that the journey has not always been consistent.

“But if you give up now, maybe it will never change. So, on that hope, me and my colleagues who try and keep attempting it because we have no other option,” she said.

Taapsee also spoke about actresses who have largely found opportunities in challenging, women-led stories rather than conventional heroine roles.

“There are many actresses like me, I feel, who don't get the role of conventional heroines. So, I am not going to be on that higher pedestal and say, ‘I refused those films’. No, I didn't get it. I have always got challenging movies and I chose the one that I liked,” she said.

The actress further said that the success of one female-driven film is celebrated as one unit as it gives investors confidence to back more such projects.

“We are in this hope that it will work. That's when even one of them works. So, trust me, all of us celebrate it. Because we feel, at least one has worked. At least, investors will have hope that, yes, such films work. So, let's invest in a little more,” she said.

She further added, “Everyone feels the failure of one of them is a setback. Because if one of them fails, everyone feels, then our project should not get dropped. Because people should not feel that female-driven cinema is not working,” she added.

For the uninitiated, Taapsee has over the years built a filmography around women-led and unconventional stories, with her powerful characters in films such as Pink, Naam Shabana, Mulk, Thappad, Rashmi Rocket, Haseen Dillruba and Dobaaraa amongst many more.

She essayed the role of a woman standing up against patriarchal attitudes in Pink and a wife confronting the realities of her marriage and choosing self respect over everything else in Thappad to an athlete fighting societal barriers in Rashmi Rocket, the actress has repeatedly chosen characters that have allowed her to explore different shades of women beyond the conventional heroine.

Taapsee is now set to bring that intensity to her upcoming movie, Gandhari, in which she will be seen in an action-packed role while portraying the raw and emotional journey of a mother whose child has been abducted.

The film follows her character's quest to find her child, with Taapsee's performance combining the physical demands of an action role with the heartbreaking desperation of a mother fighting to bring her child back. Gandhari releases on September 3.