For many celebrities today, social media is as much a part of the job as film promotions and public appearances. But actor Taapsee Pannu recently found herself stepping away from the constant online hustle,
choosing instead to focus on life beyond the screen. Now, after spending close to a year keeping a low profile on social media, she has returned to digital platforms, though not without mixed feelings about the expectations that come with it.
The actor recently reconnected with followers by asking them what kind of content they would like to see from her. Speaking to HTCity, Taapsee revealed that her decision to become less active online began sometime last year and was driven entirely by personal reasons.
“I did not announce that I would go slow on social media, this was something I did for myself unlike my work. The detox was because of multiple reasons. It felt like you are always in the race of starting trends or participating in trends. It was exhausting. I wanted to live my life and not constantly check social media,” Pannu tells us.
To make the break easier, she removed social media applications from her phone and only checked them occasionally through her iPad.
“I would use it once in three days or less. I started enjoying living real life and it became addictive. Actors are also told not to expose themselves too much. Otherwise, why would people come to theatres to watch you? That logic made sense to me,” she says.
According to Taapsee, reducing her online presence also helped her reclaim time that she felt was being lost to the demands of maintaining a digital profile. She noted that the change led to frequent questions from people around her.
“I felt like my day started evaporating. The questions that followed were of all sorts- you have not been around are you okay, where have you vanished. The questions were to an extent that your feed only looks about movies and brands, why aren’t you posting?”
However, staying away from social media also came with professional consequences. The actor said she was repeatedly told that brands increasingly prefer celebrities who are highly active online.
“I was told brands want people who are visible. I was also told, ‘You don’t post so much, so this brand won’t associate with you. That brand prefers someone who is hyperactive on social media. You should be like this particular person’. Another avenue of an actor is when we earn through brands, those brands need visibility. Our social media becomes their marketing tool.”
While acknowledging the business side of the industry, Taapsee questioned whether actors should have to change themselves to fit a marketing template.
“If a brand is coming to me, they are coming for me as a person. If I have to be like someone else, what’s the point?”
The actor maintains that while social media has become an important tool in entertainment, it should not come at the expense of being genuine.
“Authenticity should not be sacrificed for algorithms,” she says.
Taapsee is currently in Denmark, where she is spending time with husband Mathias Boe and family after completing her work commitments in India. She explained that the timing worked well because film shoots are relatively limited during the summer months.
“Not many films are shot during summers because of the weather conditions. Summertime is perfect in Denmark, so I wrapped my shoots and came here.”
Away from Mumbai’s fast-paced lifestyle, she says she enjoys doing everyday tasks on her own.
“I do everything myself, from cooking and gardening to maintaining my fitness routine and cycling to buy bread. It helps me stay real and normal.”
The actor also shared that she has never relied on a professional social media team and continues to manage her accounts independently, which often leaves her wondering what exactly followers expect from her online presence.
“I don’t have the bandwidth to click 50 photos and choose one to post. I’m not someone who will spend on hiring a social media team. I’ve always done it myself,” she says.
She added, “If I want to increase engagement, all I have to do is post pictures from glam shoots. It’s the easiest shortcut. But I already do glam shoots for editorial content, brands and films. I want that uniqueness to stay.”
Describing her approach to social media, Taapsee said she prefers to keep things natural rather than curated.
“My social media account is raw, unfiltered, not tampered with, just like how I am.It may not have the most flattering visuals and be put together perfectly. There are days where I don’t want to post at all, other days I want to post something as random as flowers and plants because I love them. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea of getting used to posting again. My family makes fun of me that I can never find my phone, so pulling it out and taking a picture is a habit I have to develop again.”
Reflecting on the broader social media landscape, the actor said she finds the experience increasingly overwhelming, especially with the growing influence of digital publicity campaigns.
“Opening Instagram makes your brain go through different emotions with rapid intensity, the whole digital PR game has shot through the roof, there’s good, bad and ugly. You can no longer point out which portal is PR driven. Paid PR can cut through any profile. If I follow someone, it is to know them as a person and not what they are paying for me to consume. Social media is a black hole that can suck you in and it takes a lot of mental strength to keep your calm, while scrolling through it.”
