COVER STORY: Taapsee Pannu going new places

First impressions are a dicey thing. Either you’re completely right about a person after just one meeting or you’re completely wrong. When you first look at Taapsee Pannu, what hits you is the steely glint in her eyes. That’s the first thing that hit us during our first meeting all those years ago and that’s something that has stayed even now, after a decade. A star’s career is full of ups and downs. How she deals with it defines her in the long run. Some, after facing hardships, become bitter and broody. Some learn from the tough times and smile more and laugh genuinely. After establishing herself down South, Taapsee arrived in Bollywood with the comedy Chashme Baddoor (2013). She didn’t have a godfather in the industry. After a few hiccups, she got noticed for her seven minute role in Baby (2015), and never looked back since. She’s made a name for herself choosing issue based films like Pink (2016), Mulk (2018) and Thappad (2020) and is looking forward to the release of her first proper biopic, Shabaash Mithu, where she’s bringing to screen the life of Mithali Raj, India’s longest serving and most decorated woman cricketer. It’s ironical that in a cricket crazy country like ours, the common man would be hard pressed to name a woman cricketer of note. So, despite being a biopic, Shabaash Mithu is also a homage to the women in blue and hopefully would encourage more girls to take up sports. Excerpts from a heart-to-heart talk with the fiery actress…

First Of All, Are You Nervous About Shabaash Mithu?

I am very nervous. Because I’m getting a theatrical release after two years. Plus, I think if you don’t get nervous, if you don’t get those butterflies, it means you’ve stopped caring for such things. So in a way, I am happy that it still gives me those butterflies and nervousness. That fear of Friday is slowly making its presence felt again…

With This Scenario Right Now, Do You Think People Are Going To Come To Theatres Or…

I still feel like going to theatres. The palate of the audience has changed, but that happens every few years. They’ll still come to the theatres, but for what kind of film, that we’ll only come to know from Friday to Friday.

So What Attracted You To Shabaash Mithu?

Mithali Raj has been the torchbearer or flagbearer of women’s cricket. I must confess that I only found out that we also have a women’s cricket team in 2017. I got to know about it so late and that too because of a statement she made in the media when she was asked who her favourite male cricketer was. When I read that statement, I got to know that she is the captain of our women’s team and that we even have a team. I am embarrassed about the fact that I did not know that we had a team before that. Then I followed the 2017 World Cup and later other matches of the women’s team.

She has the longest career in ODIs, more than any cricketer in the world. And her statistics are simply awesome. She’s put her foot in the door to provide acceptance for the women’s cricket team. And helped provide them with the attention they deserve. This is the ideology I felt I could carry forward through my medium. When we were shooting, she told me she was going to retire soon. Now that she has retired and is a legend in her sport, I feel a lot more responsibility. I thought this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I will never play another cricketer, and more importantly, there will never be another Mithali.

What Kind Of Preparation Did You Do For The Role?

It took almost six months, three months before the second lockdown and three months after, because I’d never played cricket before. Not even as a kid. Most male actors must have played cricket, but that’s a rarity with female actors. When they reached out to me, they wanted a commitment from an actor who would give all that it took to play Mithali Raj. 

I was so excited that I said yes at that time. But while training for it, I was asking myself – why the hell I didn’t play cricket when I was younger? Why couldn’t I choose to do a normal film? Why did I choose something that’s pushing me to my extremes? Then I said to myself that I’ve got to do it right, otherwise the audience in this cricket-obsessed country like ours will point out and say that this girl, who’s playing a cricketer, doesn’t even know how to hold a bat properly. In our country, films and cricket are the two religions.

Everyone has an opinion on films and cricket. I have to show this audience the first film about a female cricketer in a country where most people don’t even know that there is a women’s team. I told my director, Srjit Mukherji, “Sir, no matter how much you make me work hard, aap bas monitor pe dekhna ki koi ungli nahi uthana chahiye ki ye sahi nahi lag raha (you take care of the fact that no one should say this isn’t right). Just take care of that and I’ll give it all I have.” This has been the hardest I have worked on a film.

Sachin Tendulkar Has Hyped The Trailer. Does That Put In More Pressure?

Everyone used to call Mithali the ‘female Sachin’ because of the kind of long spanning career that she had and her legendary status. Sourav Ganguly launched the trailer, then Sachin spoke about it and spoke so highly about her. Cricket world, toh bhai chashme lagake dekhega picture (then the cricketing world is bound to take notice). I am mindful of that and with all the other things which have put me under pressure, this is also one of them. 

Are You Happy With The Outcome?

I am happy, I tried my best and I know that. After a point, you lose the objectivity of your films. You can only tell if it’s good or not so good, and I can say that it’s a good one. It’s not a bad film for sure. Now, how good is it? That is something I have never been able to predict with my films. I can tell you one thing, it’ll make you weep. 

How Difficult Is It To Play Someone Who Is Still Living?

It does become hard in terms of performance. People know about her, especially since 2017 when she has been watched highly. Mithali is totally opposite to my real personality. That was a big challenge for me. I had a very limited range of performance because she is not a person who is too expressive. She’s very classic and, by book, speaks very properly and she is a woman of few words. When you see her reaction as she does well during the game, the max you’ll get is a big, broad smile. We can’t go against the genuine fans who have known her for a number of years. So we had to walk a thin line between her real, muted personality and what the audience expects out of a sports personality. We have taken liberties in some places where I am allowed to express more than what she usually would in real life. This was obviously after getting permission from her. Otherwise, it gets really hard to show 30 years of a journey in two and a half hours without emotions. You have this image of this very strong-headed captain, someone who comes across as really aggressive, but she is not. She is actually a Bharatanatyam dancer who played cricket. She is very feminine, unlike the image of a sportswoman that you have in your head. She is contrary to everything that we have in mind for a prototype of a leader like Mithali. 

Was It Something Like You Have To Copy, Like The Way She Walks Or…?

Yes, I had to copy the way she walks. I also copied the pace at which she talks, because while I speak very quickly, she talks very calmly. When I started training for cricket, I was also taught which pad she wears first. I had to learn how she adjusts her helmet, which side she looks at; all of this I had to learn. When she picks up her bat and walks to the pitch, what is her pace? She hardly speaks Hindi; she is a Tamilian who was born and brought up in Hyderabad. She does not have an accent; it is a very neutral English and Hindi accent. People have hardly seen her speak Hindi because all her interviews are mostly in English. When I talked to her, she said that because she has travelled so much, she has gotten a neutral accent. That is what I got in my performance. Sometimes, when I hit a four and started reacting, Srijit sir was on the mic like, “Very good, but this is not Mithali.”

Has Her Personality Inspired You In Any Way?

Yes. Firstly, it was when I read her line, “Do you ask a male cricketer who their favourite female cricketer is?” That is what instantly hit me because I used to feel the same thing. Every year since the beginning of my career, from the time I started working in the South, I have answered these kinds of questions about who is my favourite male actor. But I have never heard an actor answer the same question about his female co-stars. So when I heard Mitali’s answer, I thought, “Wow, there is a woman at that level who has the guts to say it out loud.” And if she has been able to make a mark in spite of going through stuff like this, I can also do it. Another inspiring thing was that just because there’s no precedent for something doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Do You Feel Women Are Finally Getting The Roles They Deserve Now? Do You Think This Movie Is Going To Further That Cause?

That, we’ll know only after the film’s release. But I will give credit where it’s due, the situation is better now. Is it equal? No, we are still far away from that, but we are moving in that direction. Many years ago, I was asked this question: where I saw myself in ten years. I used to say, “After five to seven years, I’ll move on and do something else.” I was told that actresses only have a shelf life of five to seven years. Now it has been almost 12 years since my first film was released and I feel like I am exploring a new level in my career. 

You Are Considered The Trailblazer For Content Driven Cinema. How Do You Feel About This? Do You Agree When People Tell You This?

Recently, one of the new makeup artists was telling me that, “All your films are worth watching, it is just something different in the content.” That is something I intentionally try. My audience’s time and money should be worth it. When I do a film, I obviously want them to be entertained, but that does not mean it has to be comedy or action all the time. It can be any genre, but it has to keep them glued.

When You First Started Out, You Were Doing That Fluffy Cinema. Was It Organic Or Was It Deliberately Planned?

I did not have a well-thought-out plan when I decided I would go into acting. It took me a lot of bad decisions to understand what is right or wrong for me. I realised that you can do big films, work with big heroes, but at the end of the day, you are not the one the audience is taking back home. I did a lot of big films, which worked and also did not work in the South. I realised that I was a very easily replaceable commodity in films. All the other supporting actors and comedians-unki date important hai but heroine ki nahi (their dates are important but not of the heroine). So when I started off in Hindi, I did not want to have that kind of a recall value or that kind of presence where they could easily replace me. I started doing films like Baby and Pink because I thought I wouldn’t be easily replaced. And now people come to me and say Shabaash Mithu’s script was written with me in mind. That has definitely changed now. 

Has Pay Parity Changed Over The Years?

It has gotten better, but we are still far away from it. The budget of our female-driven film is equivalent to a male actor’s salary. That is the difference; it is still there. Shabaash Mithu is my biggest budget film so far as a protagonist. But it is still equivalent to…Akshay Kumar’s salary? Akshay Kumar to bahut zyada hai, niche aa jao thoda (that’s astronomical, come down a peg). So like any other A-lister’s salary. It’s that big of a difference. 

How Comfortable Are You Negotiating Your Fees?

I do negotiate. Sometimes I have to do it myself and not let my team do it. Some producers, whom I have direct access to and know personally, feel more comfortable talking upfront about the salary, especially when I am the protagonist of the film. So when they come and sit across the table to discuss my salary, I talk about it very clearly, using practical, logical numbers. And I ask them to tell me if I am asking too much. They say no, you are not. But the problem is that when they’re making a female-driven film, they strike a hard bargain. Because of the insecurity, the budgeting, and the scale at which you mount a female-driven film is always smaller, they end up feeling a little hesitant about it. Most of them give me what I ask for because I talk in sensible numbers. Let’s base it on how much my films have been making and how much return you will get. I talk on the basis of how much my own films have earned. I am not asking for something bizarre, which is going to put the producer in a situation where there’s no scope for return. I make sure to ask for a sum which he can recover even before the film’s release. 

These concerns don’t affect the male stars. A lot of movies are not working now, but they will never even tell them that.That’s exactly the big drop that is going to happen when situations like this happen. Now you see how many films will start getting shelved. Because the insecurity is so high, they will keep getting pushed or shelved. 

Don’t You Ever Feel Bitter About It?

What’ll I get from being bitter? I’ll just end up making more enemies than friends. If I become bitter, people won’t want to work with me. The rule of the game is that you have to adapt to it and then make your way through it. It is better to understand how to make your way through smartly.

Dunki, What Does It Mean?

Dunki is actually an old term that is being used. It’s explained in the movie. I get to work with Rajkumar Hirani and Shah Rukh Khan. A few years back, I didn’t even think I’d get a chance like this. I don’t want to think about it, but right now this is the best thing that could have happened. 

What Was Your Experience Shooting The Film?

We completed one schedule for now. Every day I just have to tell myself to switch off that button in my mind that says, “You are working with Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani.” One is a classic, and the other has the heart of our nation. Especially for people who come from Delhi, he is a benchmark. Forget about being an actor; as human beings we feel like, “Yeh khush hai, toh we will be happy.” If he is in trouble, I’ll feel sad. So that is the kind of connection we have with Shah Rukh. Every day I have to remind myself to not fangirl. When that film was announced, I got so many messages that it felt like a personal victory. It’s just so unexpected for someone like me to get here with no recommendations or support – whatever you may call it. All these personal messages make me feel glad that I made this kind of connection with the audience. That is a very beautiful thing. 

You Have Also Broken A Myth That You Don’t Need Godfathers To Come Into The Industry.

I had no option. No one was taking me as their godchild. 

When You Look Back, Was It Difficult For You?

Back then, I did not see it as a difficulty, I thought this was the only way and that there was no other option. But the satisfaction was worth it. Nobody can look back and take credit for what I have achieved; only I can. 

These Days, There Is A Lot Of Talk About North Or South Indian Cinema. You Have Done Well In Both Areas, So What Is Your Take On This?

When I came to Bollywood nine years ago, when Chashme Badoor was released, I was told that you have to literally wipe off the fact that you are from the South because people will start looking at you like a South Indian actress. I was like, “Yaar maine itni mehnat kari hai vahape, why is it not looked at as an asset?” I’d done some credible work, and on top of that, I’d worked with some really good and credible names there. I remember on the sets of Chashme Badoor, Rishi Kapoor sir asked me once, “So how many films have you done in the South?” I said 10 and I am working on the 11th one. And by the time Chashme Badoor was released, I had 12 South films out. And he was like, “Arre tu to veteran hai!” So he was shocked to know that I had done this much work. But because of the blurring of these boundaries now, things are different. Stars from there can now transition as stars here, not like me, who had to transition as a struggler. I am glad those lines have blurred so people won’t have to start back from ground zero again. 

Nobody Thinks Of You As A South Star These Days…

Today, people look at me like I am a pan-India star. Be it brands or films, they are now confident in dubbing them in South languages and releasing them there. Likewise, my South stuff too gets dubbed in Hindi and released. 

You Just Attended The London Film Festival With Dobaaraa. Is It A Sci-fi Film?

There are a lot of genres mixed together because it has also got time travel. Anurag Kashyap has simplified it a lot, so people will understand it. We have made it edible for the Indian audience to understand. It will be the first of its kind in an experimental genre, but

it’s worth it. 

How Do You Look Back? It’s Been 12 Years Since Your Debut…

It has been more than I expected. For someone who never thought of becoming an actress but is now working in a Shah Rukh Khan film, for someone like that, everything is a bonus. That is why I don’t easily get bitter. It is better to be thankful, and to count your blessings. Everyone has an up and down, right? There are days when something doesn’t work out well, and then you look back and think, “Kahan se start kiya tha, and kaha aa gaye hai.” (You’ve come a long way, indeed).