Just after the release of PINK, she had tweeted “Nepotism. Finally LEARNT the MEANING of this word. Now will learn to deal with it .” However, it seems she has really dealt with it very well. The 30-year-old actress has back to back Hindi releases this year: She played a hockey player in Shaad Ali’s biopic Soorma,(Released on July 13, 2018),she plays a lawyer defending a small-town family in Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk (Releasing on August 3, 2018), and one peg of a love triangle in Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan (Releasing on September 21, 2018). She also has a Telugu film Neevevaroo, alongside Aadhi Pinisetty and Ritika Singh. which is coming up. After Soorma’s success, she is now all set to get even more love from her role in Mulk which fans already can’t stop raving about after seeing the trailer. Taapsee Pannu reveals about films and ambitions in a chat with Devyani Purkayastha.
You have three films in Hindi and one in Telugu lined up for the year. How are you juggling all of them? Will you continue with Telegu films henceforth?
From last October to May this year, I was working nonstop with probably only 15 days off in total. That is how I completed four films back to back. I have had a month off in May, where I had my other commitments and travelled for basic rejuvenation in life. I then joined Badla in June. It has been a busy six to seven months for me, and I am not at all complaining because all these films have been very carefully picked by me. Even now when I look back, I have such wonderful memories with each film, which is probably why I am not complaining that I did not have many offs. And let me tell you that I am never going to leave the SOUTH.
So, you are an essential part of the biopic Soorma, however have you ever thought of a biopic where you play the lead? What kind of biopic would you love to act in?
Any kind! But I love sports, so any biopic on a sports-woman will intrigue me. Sania Mirza’s life is pretty interesting, even Saina’s, I would love to portray them on screen. I consider myself a huge sports enthusiast, but it was really sad that I did not know about this particular story. That was probably a very big reason for me to do the film because it is embarrassing that you did not know about the things that an ex-hockey captain went through. I decided that in my way, I would make sure that nobody missed this story. I trained in hockey for that. I really enjoy playing any kind of sport. But when I get to do that professionally, I do not have to take up extra time to learn the sport. What better than that?
So did you get any injury while learning Hockey for Soorma? Anything you found challenging?
No! Not at all! Thank God! Shaad didn’t tell me to do Drag Flick. It was challenging for me. I could do it only once or twice. Diljit did it very well. This is the shot mastered by Sandeep Singh, and as you know, he has made a world record too as a fastest Drag Flick player. However Diljit can play hockey pretty well. I didn’t know till I started seeing him during my practice. He is really good in hockey.
How was your equation with Diljit on sets? Does he entertain with his singing at set?
No, he doesn’t sing on sets. In reality, he is very reserved. He minds his own business. He is a total contrast onscreen n off screen. He, like an obedient student will do what the director tells him to do. And on the contrary, I am chatterbox at the set.
What was Sandeep’s reaction when he saw you?
I think he was happy. He is a very good coach. He explains things very well. I got to learn hockey from him. That was a very good feeling to learn the sport from literally a legend.
Mulk deals with a sensitive and controversial subject Islamophobia. Then what made you say yes to the film?
My life is run by Muslims. My manager, my driver, my housemaid – are all Muslims and they are inseparable part of my life. This is one of the reasons why I chose to do this film. If somebody has to stand up to address the issue, then I would love to take the responsibility. Doing this movie was a way of venting out how disturbed I felt because of how Muslims are treated.
‘Mulk’ sees you back in the courtroom after the legal drama ‘Pink’, but this time, you are on the other side.
When I was performing for Mulk, what was intimidating was that there were five cameras rolling at the same time and you have people like Rajat Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Neena Gupta and Ashutosh Rana standing next to you. I have seen all of their work growing up. They are powerful performers. I always say that I am not intimidated by big stars, but I am intimidated by really good actors. You have to be at par, otherwise you are going to stand out like a sore thumb. When all of them were in the same frame, there was a lot of pressure. I remember Ashutosh Rana was standing in front me for a sequence and I told him I was extremely intimidated and that I have seen him in terrifying roles in Sangharsh and Dushman. He just laughed. But I am looking forward to the audience reaction, particularly for this film. It is a different thing when you are the leading lady in a film, and completely different when you are performing with many actors and your role is appreciated. It is a test of sorts.
And ‘Manmarziyan’ is in a different space with an unusual cast.
Yes, definitely. Anurag is a director I haven’t worked with before, but he is someone I would like to work with again and again. When I met him, I became a fan of the person he is, which is beyond the work he does. The energy around him is totally different. Kashyap’s films are usually thought to be dark films. I remember during the shooting, I kept joking around saying, “Light lagao [Turn on the lights]”. We were pulling his leg about that.
How do you pick a role?
When I get an offer, the first thing I look out for is the director. I am a very director-dependent actor. Even a great script can be bad in the hands of the wrong person. I trust my director a lot. I need to see that person’s work before, for me to know what their sensibilities are like.
How new and refreshing the character I am playing is another criterion. As an audience, will I pay my hard-earned money to watch the film in the theatre? That is how I choose my script.
Who is your favourite co-actor ?
After working with Amitabh Bacchan, it’s hard to choose someone else over him. He is so cool and there are so many things you can learn from him. I am lucky to work as his costar twice on big screen. I am working with Chintuji (Rishi Kapoor) in Mulk. He is a typical Punjabi Kapoor. And in Manmarziyan, I am opposite Abhishek, who has a very different personality from his father. Every costar of mine has been good so far.
You are the only actress to have played a small role in a film, Baby, which led to an entire movie revolving around your character in Naam Shabana…
Yes, I’m very lucky to do Baby in which I had a 10-minute role that ended up with me getting the title role in another movie. It wasn’t planned. With Akshay Kumar, Neeraj Pandey supporting it and Manoj Bajpayee playing an important role in Naam Shabana, who would have thought that within three years, I would get a project like that! Then I got to work in Pink where initially people thought it would be an Amitabh Bachchan film. I’m lucky to get such a beautiful role to essay. The only credit I give myself is having made sure that I used the opportunity to my best. I didn’t let it pass or take it lightly. I exploited the opportunity to deliver my best. A lot of directors if you have noticed have repeated me.
How did you exploit the opportunity to your best?
Beggars cannot be choosers. When I did Baby I was told, Akshay ke film mein vaise hi kisi aur ko koi dekhta nahi hain aur 10 minutes ke role mein kya dekhenge? I was not even paired opposite Akshay. It was very convenient to not realise my presence (in the film), but that’s what worked in my favour because people didn’t expect me to do what I did. Whenever I have done something people didn’t expect me to do, it has worked for me. The same thing happened with Pink. They didn’t expect me to have an equal role as Mr Bachchan’s but were shocked to see me have one. Then they never thought I would do a Judwaa 2 after this. It’s fun when I change gears. I do one Pink and Dil Junglee, a Naam Shabana and Judwaa 2. If I do one genre back-to-back, it will get boring.
