Hindi cinema is more about cleavage; South cinema is about the navel: Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee Pannu has worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam cinema. She has been on those sets, done those songs and navigated those conversations. In a recent interview, she reflected on everything from her middle-class upbringing in Delhi to her latest film ‘Assi’. During the conversation with Shubhankar Mishra, she also addressed a topic that is seldom discussed openly: the culture surrounding female bodies on Indian film sets.

When asked about why Bhojpuri and South Indian cinema seem so focused on the navel in song sequences, Pannu answered, “I’m also trying to understand. It’s not that item songs in Hindi cinema don’t focus on it, but it’s not as much as in South Cinema. Hindi cinema is more about cleavage.”

Pannu went on to recall something more specific, a behind-the-scenes reality that most film conversations skip over entirely.

“In the South, they are often asked to wear a padded bra. And the problem is: who does the director even tell on set?” She described the chain of communication that typically follows - director to assistant director, AD to styling team, styling team to the hair and wardrobe women and finally to the actress herself. “Imagine how embarrassing it would be. You’re shooting a song, someone gets up in the middle, walks off and everyone knows exactly what’s happening. All the men are sitting there, watching what looks different when you come back.”

This is not the first time Taapsee has spoken about South cinema’s preoccupation with the midriff. In an earlier interview, she described how the filmmaker who launched her was known for conveying a heroine’s sensuality specifically through the midriff. The actress recalled that a coconut was thrown at her midriff on set. “I don’t know what’s sensuous about a coconut hitting my midriff,” she said, laughing.

That comment went viral. Telugu audiences felt the remark was dismissive of a celebrated filmmaker and his body of work. Pannu had to then respond with a public apology. “I didn’t intend to hurt anyone,” she said in a video message, adding, “I wanted to make fun of myself and how my debut film happened to me. It took me a little while to understand that what I said was wrong. I really want to apologise if I hurt anyone’s sentiments.”

The filmmaker in question was K Raghavendra Rao, one of Telugu cinema’s most prominent directors, whose films across four decades have featured a distinctive visual style.