For actor Tapsee Pannu, Pink is more than a film. “Sharing screen space with Amitabh Bachchan is a landmark in my career,” says the glamorous diva when she was in Bengaluru to promote the film. The courtroom thriller features Tapsee with Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Angad Singh Bedi and the Big B.
“It feels like we’ve genuinely achieved something sharing the frame with him. All of us had great experiences. Having him in the frame makes our performances go several notches higher. We weren’t intimidated or nervous; we were excited.
Having an actor like him, delivering those dialogues, just helps you perform so much better. Looking at him, you learn so much, because even at this age, he doesn’t take things for granted. Each and every line is rehearsed so well. You feel like you haven’t done enough to be there. He is almost over-prepared. That man has an aura. You know why he is called the Amitabh Bachchan.”
She goes on to say that the best part of the Thespian is that he adjusts to the age group of the people he is working with. “So when he is with us, he is a cool dude. His one-liners and his sense of humour are outstanding. When he is in the frame, the energy he radiates, I just react to the way he acts.”
Taapsee plays Minal Arora in the film. “My character is a Delhi girl who, though her parents live in the same city, stays away from home.
“She is a professional dancer. She does late night shows, comes home late and doesn’t want to disturb her family. My co-stars Kirti and Andrea are my two flatmates and we are great friends living almost like a family. My character doesn’t really care what the world thinks. She likes to pursue her heart. When she has done nothing wrong, she doesn’t mind staying strong till the end.”
She points out that the character was the hardest and easiest role she has played so far. “Easiest because I was playing myself – they chose me because I am who I am. The difficult thing was to play the victim. That was the challenge. I broke down on the sets multiple times. In the film, if you see my eyes moist or see me crying, they are real tears. That is how close the topic was to me and how involved I was in the script.”
Her biggest takeaway from Pink is that she found a part of herself she never knew existed. “I was already attached quite closely to this subject. It wasn’t new for me. But what I realised after doing Pink was how close I am to the character. It can happen to any of us. I don’t cry very easily. It is difficult for people to even think I can cry so much. That is a shade of me I didn’t realise until the movie.”
She goes on to say, for her, pink as a colour is associated with softness and delicacy. “There is a certain conditioning there.
Similarly, there is a conditioning for women. This film aims at breaking that conditioning attached to pink and women. Pink will be the colour of strength and women after this.”
From working as a software professional to modelling and acting, Tapsee says her journey has been the learning experience of her life.
“The maturity I’ve gained has been immense. I never thought I’ll be able to take charge of my life and future. I’m not a trained actor so my acting classes started in my first film. From there to my 21st film Pink , I’ve learned on the set, which is why my acting is just me. I owe a lot to the South industry. Even people in Bollywood are in awe of actors from the South. They believe the actors are very professional and I’ve learnt a lot from my experience there.”
