It's Taapsee Pannu's birthday on August 1. With no godfather in the industry, Taapsee Pannu has created her own mark in Bollywood and is now considered as one of the most versatile actresses in the industry. However, her journey was not a cakewalk. As she turns 35 this year, we take a look at some candid pictures of the actress with some interesting facts about her!
Updated On: 2022-07-31 09:19 PM IST
Born on August 1, 1987, Taapsee Pannu hails from Delhi. She did her schooling from Mata Jai Kaur Public School in Ashok Vihar, Delhi. Taapsee graduated in Computer Science Engineering from the Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology in New Delhi. She worked as a software engineer for some time. (All pictures/Taapsee Pannu's Instagram account)
Being a Sikh girl who grew up in an environment of communal harmony, Taapsee said (in an old interview with mid-day), 'I was taught how to pray while visiting Gurdwara, who are the Gurus we have in Sikhism and every other basic things that a Sikh girl should know. However, I was also told that as a human, I am free to celebrate other festivals and mingle with people from other religions. So, I have no conflict in mind to celebrate Christmas, Holi or Eid.'
Taapsee, who made her acting debut with the 2010 Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, has been part of a number of critically acclaimed films.
In the Hindi film industry, she has been appreciated for her roles in films like Manmarziyaan, Pink, Baby, The Ghazi Attack, Naam Shabana, Mulk, Badla, Saand Ki Aankh.
She does not fear failure. Remembering her early days in the Telugu film industry, Taapsee said, 'You know, it is funny now, but at the beginning of my career, some of the films failed at the box office and filmmakers stopped casting me saying I am bringing bad luck to their film. The funny thing is that in those films, my contribution was nothing but three songs and five scenes. I have seen so much failure in the south that I know that we cannot control our success rate. It's not about our desire to perform in a great story. At the end of it, the box office result matters. And the weird thing is that we do not know the formula of that.'
On her journey in Bollywood, Taapsee says she has always ensured making the best use of the opportunities that came her way. 'I never planned my path in Bollywood, nor did anyone else plan anything out for me. But one thing has been constant - whatever opportunity I got, I ensured that I made use of it one hundred per cent. Because I've realised one thing - you never know what will work and what will not work or which moment will click and what will not. You will probably think that's the best thing and that will not do any good for you. So just make sure you do your best every moment,' Taapsee said.
Taapsee Pannu wants to be remembered as someone who was a part of the change. 'Be it in terms of female characters, be it in terms of outsiders, just someone who was contributing to a significant change in the industry,' said Taapsee.
She has dabbled in both Hindi and southern cinema since her debut with the Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam in 2010, and her Tamil debut Aadukalam won six National Film Awards at the 58th National Film Awards. In 2017, her film The Ghazi Attack won the Best Telugu film at the 65th National Film Awards, with the chairperson of jury Shekhar Kapur hailing regional cinema over Hindi.
But Taapsee feels it was just a matter of time before people realised the capability of regional cinema. "I think it's only now that people (in north India) are waking up to the fact that regional cinema is quite capable of giving Hindi cinema a run for its money. But, honestly, having worked there for some years now... I will say that it (regional cinema) was always there," said Taapsee.
Taapsee Pannu said that when she made her debut, she only saw particular actresses who weren't termed as mainstream heroines and doing female-centric movies. "But within four years, you can see such a huge change where all the female A-listers, mainstream actresses today are doing at least one female-centric film a year which is so beautiful to see and the result of it is at par as the male-centric film but at least it is headed towards the right direction," she said. Taapsee also credits the audience for a positive shift.
Has Taapsee ever thought of directing one day? 'No, not yet. I think I still have a lot to learn in terms of acting. However, I don't think I could do anything else in the film industry apart from acting. If I had to try something else, it would be in a different profession altogether,' she said.
With a spate of successful films in the past year, Taapsee Pannu recently acknowledged that her bargaining power has improved. But what continues to excite her is the ability to carry a film on her shoulders, in terms of the film's box office fate. Her last film Thappad was critically acclaimed.
Taapsee said, 'In the last two years, my remuneration has skyrocketed, although the figure is still far off from [what] my male counterparts [earn]. Producers have been happy to accommodate the price I quote. But I am in no rush to earn all the money in one go. I will never make a film suffer because of my price. I have waited for a long time, been at the mercy of people who would decide if I can do a project. Today, I have the power to make films happen.'
On a lighter note, Taapsee Pannu loves to experiment with her outfits with the right amalgamation of Indian and western inspiration and she says that her personal style personifies independence and confidence.
'For me, the style reflects your real personality - clothes and accessories should enhance that. I love to fuse Indian colours and patterns with silhouettes from western wear. My personal style is one that personifies independence, confidence and beauty with ease and comfort,' Taapsee said.
For her, the concept of 'the perfect attire' is not set in stone. 'I love to experiment with my outfits. In my ethnic wear, I love to go for some nice colours with a slight touch of the modern-day and age as well. I like modern silhouettes, classy cuts and vibrant prints - it gives an interesting twist to ethnic wear,' says Taapsee.
Talking about her love life, Taapsee Pannu in September 2019 revealed that she is in a relationship with someone but does not plan on getting married anytime soon. While she revealed her relationship status, she also gave away that her 'Prince Charming' has no connection to the glamour world.
Taapsee Pannu even revealed she wants to have kids out of wedlock. Speaking about her ideal wedding, Taapsee says that she wants a one-day wedding with close friends and family. 'I don't want an elaborate wedding either. It will be one long day with close friends and family. This multiple-day thing is too tiring. It will be like a compact one-day thing,' said the actress.
Speaking about Taapsee's relationship, sister Shagun Pannu took credit for it and said that the Pink actor met him through her. "Now, she may have got lucky. Taapsee must thank me because it was because of me that she met him. Honestly, apart from him and another guy who I liked, but I don't know where from Taapsee finds these weird guys. First of all, they are so ugly." Taapsee was quick to reply to her sister and joked, "I have kissed a lot of frogs before meeting my prince."
Taapsee Pannu has never been linked to her co-stars or anyone from the industry or outside the industry. She had confessed that she is not a romantic person in real life. 'I am not really a romantic person. It is tough for me to do all those things on camera because I am not really like that at all,' she said.
