What is the story about?
Taapsee Pannu is an actor who has single-handedly dismantled the trope of the damsel in distress. Taapsee doesn’t just play characters; she inhabits women who demand space, respect, and agency in a world designed to quiet them.
She has dabbled with the South Indian film industry as well. Since I’m more inclined to Bollywood, my first major impression of Pannu came in Neeraj Pandey’s Baby in 2015, where she played Shabana, a RAW agent. Such was the impact and impression of the actor, her character and performance that she became the first fictional character in Hindi movie history to have a spin-off in 2017, Naam Shabana.
Exposing the ageism debate in Bollywood
In an interview with Times Entertainment, the actress revealed, "By the time you make a mark, you’ve crossed 30. Then they say you’re not young enough to be featured in a rom-com. So even till date, there are so many times when I feel like, ‘But you don’t really need a younger person for this role.’ Yet they still want to go younger. It doesn’t really happen the same way with men. Of course, we can all see that. But yes, ageism is a big thing."
She added, "Even in the South, it used to happen with me. The moment I was cast opposite a relatively senior actor, the younger actors didn't want to work with me. They were like, ‘Oh no, she’s been opposite that actor, so now…’ You dare say that about Shah Rukh Khan. You know, an actress’s life changes after working with Shah Rukh Khan. So that taboo is not here, but that taboo was there for me when I worked in the South."
One of her most rousing performances was in Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad. The most powerful moment isn’t the slap itself, but Amrita’s quiet conversation with her mother-in-law later. She explains why she can’t “move on”: “He couldn’t even say sorry.” Pannu’s portrayal of a woman realizing her entire worth has been erased by a “minor” incident is heartbreakingly precise.
She has dabbled with the South Indian film industry as well. Since I’m more inclined to Bollywood, my first major impression of Pannu came in Neeraj Pandey’s Baby in 2015, where she played Shabana, a RAW agent. Such was the impact and impression of the actor, her character and performance that she became the first fictional character in Hindi movie history to have a spin-off in 2017, Naam Shabana.
Exposing the ageism debate in Bollywood
In an interview with Times Entertainment, the actress revealed, "By the time you make a mark, you’ve crossed 30. Then they say you’re not young enough to be featured in a rom-com. So even till date, there are so many times when I feel like, ‘But you don’t really need a younger person for this role.’ Yet they still want to go younger. It doesn’t really happen the same way with men. Of course, we can all see that. But yes, ageism is a big thing."
She added, "Even in the South, it used to happen with me. The moment I was cast opposite a relatively senior actor, the younger actors didn't want to work with me. They were like, ‘Oh no, she’s been opposite that actor, so now…’ You dare say that about Shah Rukh Khan. You know, an actress’s life changes after working with Shah Rukh Khan. So that taboo is not here, but that taboo was there for me when I worked in the South."
One of her most rousing performances was in Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad. The most powerful moment isn’t the slap itself, but Amrita’s quiet conversation with her mother-in-law later. She explains why she can’t “move on”: “He couldn’t even say sorry.” Pannu’s portrayal of a woman realizing her entire worth has been erased by a “minor” incident is heartbreakingly precise.
