Proud to witness, be part of new age Indian cinema: Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee Pannu, who will next be seen in the forthcoming movie Naam Shabana, says she is proud to be part of the changing phase of Indian cinema where women-centric films are becoming a reality.

“When I entered the film industry, it was going through the change and I knew that people are ready to receive experimental content, but never thought I will become part of that change with a film like Pink. I feel proud to witness and be a part of new age Indian cinema. I think I am very fortunate,” said Taapsee.

She thinks Pink brought about “almost like a revolution in cinema” with its telling of a tale which conveys that when a woman says “no”, it strictly means so.

She says it’s “unbelievable” how “people have started debating about women’s issues, girls’ safety and gender equality” using Pink as a reference point.

Starting her career in 2010 with Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, Taapsee acted in various south Indian films before debuting in Bollywood with Chashme Baddoor in 2013. However, she was noticed for her action-packed performance in Baby, directed by Neeraj Pandey.

Her character in Baby is what has resulted in its spin-off Naam Shabana, produced by Pandey and directed by Shivam Nair.

Since it is her second film with Pandey, asked how has her equation evolved with the filmmaker, she said, “It’s still the same. Neeraj Pandey is a man of few words. Therefore, I had to be very conscious on set, and he helped me to learn the mind of the character that lies in between the lines.”

“It’s very interesting to essay such a character because I do not relate to Shabana at all.”

Whether it is Pink, Baby or Naam Shabana, though there is a strong projection of female characters, all these films were driven by male stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar.

So, do these films receive appreciation because of star power or content? “There is no denying the fact that star power matters, but what would be best for our film is to utilise that for telling a substantial story. You see, in Naam Shabana for instance, where actors like Akhay Kumar and Manoj Bajpayee are also involved, I am taking the centrestage.”

“It shows how they are supporting a good story with their full conviction. In fact, Akshay is a co-producer of the film,” Taapsee said.

Naam Shabana is releasing on March 31.