Was told not to date and to act opposite big stars early in my career: Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee Pannu never shies away from speaking her mind, even when it comes to exposing the harsh realities of the Bollywood industry. In a recent interview, she opened up about the early days of her acting career and the advice she received from ‘senior’ and ‘more experienced’ members of the film fraternity.

During a conversation with ‘Zoom’, Taapsee was asked if she believed everything she was told at the beginning of her film career. “I believed everything. I had no reason not to believe them. They were all senior people, more experienced people, telling me that heroines have a shelf life of five to six years. You only have to act opposite big stars, no matter how older they are than you. To be the A-lister, you have to just act opposite big A-lister heroes. It doesn’t matter what your role is.”

The actress added that she was even asked not to engage in any romantic relationships to retain desirability. “Of course, I was told not to have any affairs or any relationships while becoming a heroine. Because once you start dating someone, people will not look at you in the same aspirational light. You are only a desirable heroine if they feel you are single and available. They also told not to do any negative roles, grey shade character, because you become a vamp.”

However, Taapsee listened to her heart after a few years and stopped walking on the same path as others. “And once that happens, you can never be the leading actress of a film. All these things were told. I believed it, until I didn’t. It’s only very recently that we have started learning every size can look glamorous, there’s no formula, but that’s not what we were told back then,” she said.

On the professional front, Taapsee Pannu was last seen in ‘Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba’, which premiered on ‘Netflix’ in 2024. The actor has two projects in her kitty, including the revenge drama ‘Gandhari’, set to release on ‘Netflix’ this year and ‘Haseen Dillruba 3’.