Having carved a niche for herself with mid-budget but content-driven and impactful films, Dunki (2023) marked a significant exit for Taapsee Pannu. It, undoubtedly, was the biggest film of her career, in terms of its budget and scale. To top that, it was directed by one of the most successful commercial makers, Rajkumar Hirani, and starred superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
Taapsee called the film a a reward for her ten years of hard work in unconventional and social issue-based films. While many thought it would open bigger doors for her and translate to more mainstream film offers, that didn’t happen. Speaking to News18 exclusively, she says, “No, I haven’t been offered a film of that scale as yet.” And why does she think big opportunities like Dunki
didn’t materialise?
“I feel that all actors are replaceable. It’s not like ki yeh role iske ilaava koi aur kar hi nahi sakta. They may do it differently but I think everyone can pull off every role. But the female characters in these so-called mainstream and commercial films are ones that can be played by anyone. And the basis of landing these roles isn’t your talent,” she explains.
Taapsee continues, “It’s your market, saleability, contacts, visbility, presence and influence. All of these factors more than an actor’s talent come into play. And I know it for a fact that I’m lagging behind when it comes to these factors. The only basis on which I can get a film is my talent. The only reason I got to work on Dunki is because Raju sir had seen my work. He puts his foot down for me.”
According to Taapsee, not every maker will fight for her in the same way that Rajkumar did. “I didn’t personally know Raju sir before this film. Before Dunki, I had worked with Red Chillies for Badla. But that was long back. Raju sir wanted me to play that role in Dunki. But how many directors are ready to put their foot down for a female actor who isn’t a conventional casting choice?” she states.
And this, in her words, is precisely why she hasn’t received more roles in big-ticket films. “How many of them will say ki mujhe yeh hi actress chahiye yeh film ke liye? I’ve to give Raju sir the complete credit for being firm about his choice of casting me. But such instances are not very common,” says the actor, who recently had a release with Gandhari.
“Usually, the characters in a commercial film aren’t significant enough and so, it doesn’t matter which actress is playing the part. If an actress fits into their budget and has a certain market value, they immediately cast her. Mainstream films that cast an actress purely on the basis of talent are far and few. And directors like Raju sir, who are so sure of the actress they want, are even fewer,” she adds.
