Actress who became one just because she wanted to experiment with herself. The actress who never fails to receive critical acclaim is an outsider with no background in acting. Improving her art with each film, her work is at par with the industry's most talented and professional actors.
Taapsee used to be a very problematic child as a kid. Yes, she was meritorious, scoring 90% in her 12th board and did engineering, and planned to do an MBA. She has also been trained in Bharatnatyam and Kathak since the 4th standard. But she used to ask a lot of questions which used to get annoying for many. She used to argue, and her family used to get exasperated by her rows. On one such occasion, her father told her to become a lawyer. She learned & built her own opinions and had a strong personality that didn’t believe in “never.” She loves to try new things & give them a genuine effort. If she fails, she moves on to try something else. She calls herself the “jack of all trades, master of none.”
After her graduation, Taapsee was working as a software engineer when she couldn’t clear CAT. So, while working there, she tried her hand at modelling and went on the show Get Glamorous by Channel V. She competed in various other fashion shows, including Femina Miss India. She got many commercials while working as a model, but she didn’t get the recognition and satisfaction. So she decided to work in the movies and got her first break in the south.
Taapsee’s first film was a hit and earned her a lot of critical acclaim and awards. But the subsequent films were all flops. She was only doing what usually actresses are expected to do, 3-4 songs and a few scenes as she was told that’s how she can make it big. But her flops gave way to the superstition that she jinxed the movies to flop and got her the name iron leg. Nobody was ready to cast her in the films as she brought bad luck with her. Only after she resolved to do films that she enjoys doing did she start making successful movies.
She got busy working in the south industry when she got the call from Viacom for her Bollywood debut Chashme Baddoor. Again, they landed on her on their own. After Chashme Baddoor’s success, it took her time to get her next film. Her struggle was to make people believe that she’s bankable. She maintained her resolve only to do the work that made her happy.
She’s seen in the unheard-of roles like a girl in salwar kameez fighting with the terrorist herself when she realizes Akshay will not come. She’s the actress who has supported women's empowerment with her movies like Pink and Thappad. She’s the actress who’s been able to prove early on in her career that she can do women-centric films and make them successful.
Taapsee Pannu has faced bizarre situations initially while working in the industry. There have been times when she has been removed from projects because the hero’s wife didn’t want her in the film. There have been times when she was dubbing for her film, and the filmmakers asked her to change her dialogue as the hero didn’t like it. She refused, so later, they got the movie dubbed by someone else without her knowledge.
She has been asked to cut her charges as the hero’s last film didn’t work well. Some heroes wanted her introduction scene changed as they felt that it overshadowed them. Taapsee Pannu has shown she’s capable of driving the movie to success on her own which is why many male stars are hesitant to work with her in a film.
Taapsee Pannu is not the actress who doesn’t believe in complaining. She believes in the phrase “Be the change you want to see in the world.” She didn’t abuse the nepotism flag bearers and questioned the audience who were engaged in it. She told them to invest in her and other outsiders and women-centric films if they want to see a change in the industry. If they continue to invest in Starkid's movies, then their abuses are worthless.
The actress is a diamond in a coal mine. She does movies on subjects that she strongly believes in. Her movies are an inspiration to many.
