After making a name for herself in Tamil and Telugu films, Taapsee Pannu is geared up for new challenges on her home turf. She takes time in selecting her projects and this has helped her. She was noticed in Chashme Baddoor and went on to prove herself in Baby, where she had a small yet effective role. She has just finished a short film, Barish Aur Chowmein directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and a music video of a single sung by Shaan, which features Saqib Salim opposite her. In the city to participate in a film festival, here the actress talks about being an outsider, her choice of roles and working with Amitabh Bachchan.
Excerpts:
Did you face hurdles in finding your feet in the film industry?
I did not have any plans to become an actress as I am a computer engineer and was preparing for an MBA programme when I signed a South Indian film. There have been many hurdles in the journey because of which I maintained a slow pace. Being an outsider I cannot afford to make mistakes. There is no big production house, film family or godfather to back if I make a mistake. There is no second chance for an outsider. I realised it early and that made me take my steps wisely. I have had only two releases in Bollywood but I am not in a rush.
It may sound clichéd but I never imagined myself as an actress. That is why I did not attend an acting school. I don’t follow anybody because if I start copying someone, I may lose my spontaneity which is my forte and that will kill the originality of my work.
Your character inBarish aur Chowmeinbreaks the stereotypical portrayal of Marathi girls. Being a Delhi girl, was it a challenge for you?
The biggest fear of an actor is fear of being typecast and I consider myself fortunate that I have been given different roles. I am strictly against caricatures like showing Delhi girl as loud or a Marathi girl in a darker tone.
It was a challenge for me to play a Marathi girl living in a chawl, as I had never been there in my life. One cannot generalise everyone living in a region as being same apart from the way of talking. Feelings are universal to everyone and that are being shown through my character of a dancer living in a chawl without stereotyping all dancers.
How was the experience sharing screen with Amitabh Bachchan at an early stage of your career?
I cannot say that I was nervous when I first got to know that I will be working alongside Bachchanji in Pink ; rather I was excited. The film’s first half has less dialogues; the later half has scenes where we both interact. So that part is more exciting for me. I came to know the passion for cinema while working with him. Despite being a super senior in the industry, he feels nervous before giving shots because he wants to give his best. And he openly shares his nervousness with everyone on the sets.
His hard work and dedication at this age is so much inspiring for everyone. It is like being in a film school where one learns while working.
Your music video with Saqib Salim became very popular. How do you see the singles featuring Bollywood actors?
I personally wanted to do it because it is from reputed brand T-series. It plays out in typical Bollywood style which I had never done before. Another reason was Amaal Malik, who gave music to it. He is flavour of the season. I think as the opportunities are increasing one should not think twice before foraying into new territory. Music videos are a good platform for younger actors to build a pool of audience for them and it is tried and tested way of getting popularity because Bollywood is always known for its musicals.
What is the difference between working in Hindi and Tamil/Telugu films?
Without differentiating on regional lines, I see films which I work in as Indian cinema. All industries produce commercial potboilers and content driven films and I am fortunate I have been a part of both. So working in all of them is not much except for some adapting to local customs. As far as language is concerned, it was a very challenging job for me to gather the thought process of the character through dialogues, which I did not understand. So, it was tough and still is. Hindi is still the only language I am comfortable speaking.
