Taapsee Pannu says she has NOT GOT big-scale films after ‘Dunki’: ‘I lag behind in contacts, influence’ | Hindi Movie News
Taapsee Pannu, known for backing content-first and socially relevant cinema on modest budgets, saw a major career shift with 2023’s ‘Dunki’. The film stood as the biggest of her career in terms of scale, helmed by ace commercial director Rajkumar Hirani and headlined by superstar Shah Rukh Khan. While many expected the project to open doors to bigger mainstream opportunities, Taapsee revealed that hasn’t quite been the case.
Taapsee Pannu says no bigger offers since ‘Dunki’
Taapsee Pannu had once described ‘Dunki’ as the payoff for a decade spent working in unconventional, issue-driven cinema. However, speaking to News18, she admitted that similar big-ticket offers haven’t come her way. She said, “No, I haven’t been offered a film of that scale as yet.”
Why Taapsee Pannu believes big roles haven’t followed
Explaining her theory behind the lack of mainstream offers, Taapsee said talent often takes a backseat in commercial cinema casting decisions. She explained, “I feel that all actors are replaceable. It’s not like ki yeh role iske ilaava koi aur kar hi nahi sakta. They may do it differently, but I think everyone can pull off every role.”She further shared, “But the female characters in these so-called mainstream and commercial films are ones that can be played by anyone. And the basis of landing these roles isn’t your talent.”She added that factors beyond acting ability typically decide who gets cast. “It’s your market, saleability, contacts, visbility, presence and influence. All of these factors, more than an actor’s talent, come into play. And I know it for a fact that I’m lagging behind when it comes to these factors. The only basis on which I can get a film is my talent. The only reason I got to work on ‘Dunki’ is because Raju sir had seen my work. He puts his foot down for me.”
Taapsee Pannu credits Rajkumar Hirani’s backing
According to Taapsee Pannu, filmmakers willing to stand firm on unconventional casting choices are rare. She said, “I didn’t personally know Raju sir before this film. Before ‘Dunki’, I had worked with Red Chillies for ‘Badla’. But that was long back. Raju sir wanted me to play that role in ‘Dunki’. But how many directors are ready to put their foot down for a female actor who isn’t a conventional casting choice?”She reiterated that such conviction from directors is uncommon in the industry. Taapsee said, “How many of them will say ‘Ki mujhe yeh hi actress chahiye yeh film ke liye?’ I’ve to give Raju sir the complete credit for being firm about his choice of casting me. But such instances are not very common.”
Taapsee Pannu feels talent alone rarely decides casting
Taapsee Pannu further pointed out that most commercial films don’t require standout performances, making the choice of actress interchangeable. She shared, “Usually, the characters in a commercial film aren’t significant enough, and so, it doesn’t matter which actress is playing the part. If an actress fits into their budget and has a certain market value, they immediately cast her. Mainstream films that cast an actress purely on the basis of talent are far and few. And directors like Raju sir, who are so sure of the actress they want, are even fewer.”On the work front, the actress was recently seen in ‘Gandhari’, directed by Devashish Makhija. Alongside Taapsee, the movie also featured Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee and Mita Vashisht. It premiered on Netflix on September 3, 2026.
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