In 2014 my colleagues and I were discussing a story around actresses in Mumbai and one of us suggested the name of Taapsee Pannu along with the likes of Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha. But the name was dropped because even after doing more than 10 films in South India, she was not an A-Lister for the media.
At that time we did a small interview with Taapsee and when I asked her how she felt when media underestimate her, the answer was simple. "Media is doing its work. Today they are not giving me time, maybe tomorrow I might not give them time"
I don't remember if the interview finally was published or not, but soon after her powerful roles in Baby and "Pink", many of my colleagues started making queries for an interview witrh Taapsee. Post the success of Pink, we met at the office of a film company in Mumbai where Tapasee did not remember my question but recalled the initial attitude of the media towards her and immediately, "Did I not say, one day I will have less time."
If you meet Taapsee, you will not feel that you are meeting a star, with time she has become a little rigid and has learned to say "no" to people and fans but still, she talks openly. She is still at heart a Delhi girl, who knows priorities and loves to binge on street food.
You do not expect such things from an actress because mostly stars are diet and image conscious, however Taapsee is different.
Now Taapsee is gearing up for her latest film Naam Shabana, a spinoff of Akshay Kumar starrer Baby and a film based completely on the character played by her.
Recalling her struggling days Taapsee said,"Bollywood is a world of dreams, but it is also a difficult place. You have to stand here till your bad times pass. Today Akshay Kumar is doing a side role in a film where I am a lead. But there was a time when my fellow artists refused to work with me because I was not a "star".
While we were chatting with the young actress at the hotel lobby, she revealed that a friend of hers was the senior manager at the hotel. She said, "I too wanted to have a career like this, but then, I had offers for modelling while I was studying. One thing led to the other and work went on."
Taapsee made her debut in 2013 with David Dhawan's Chashme Baddoor, but despite getting a nomination for Best Debut that year, she had to wait till 2015 to get her next Hindi film.
It was the year 2016 that made Taapsee one of the most sought after faces in the industry. Pink gave Taapsee the recognition she was waiting for, and today she is coming playing the lead role in Naam Shabana.
In this movie, Taapsee will be seen playing an under-cover agent. She says that she's as bold and strong as Shabana in real life as well. "I have faced eve-teasing many times in Delhi but I give it back to them strongly"
Taapsee feels that girls should come forward without waiting for someone else for their safety, otherwise the suppressor will continue to create trouble.
As the interview was coming to an end, we were interrupted by her staff. Taapsee hurriedly tried to finish the interview and added, "I remember what I said in the interview that day. I think you got lucky as you got a chance to talk to me twice!" Truly, we were really lucky because, after a candid chat with us, Taapsee asked the waiting media persons to ask her only about her upcoming film.
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