2024 was a banner year for actress Taapsee Pannu, she starred in two brilliant and diverse films Phir Ayee Haseen Dilruba and Khel Khel Mein and oh yes, she got married. She talked with Subhash K Jha about the successes of 2024 and what she hopes is coming to her in 2025.
You had two very disparate releases Phir Ayee Haseen Dilruba and Khel Khel Mein in 2024?
Yeah, these were two very different films that were released; unfortunately for me, they were released within a week. I would have liked it to be spaced out more, but then it’s not really in my hand. The good thing was that they were released on different mediums, and there were such different genres and such different characters that they had their own presence. Haseen Dilruba gave me a franchise of my own, and after the successful Part 2 (Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba), it just solidified its presence as a franchise. And the next part should be in the making whenever the maker’s feel is at right time and the right script to do it. Whereas Khel Khel Mein gave me a film which showed me in the comic light and even in the big ensemble, gave me a presence of my own character that stayed with people after the film got over. I had some beautiful lines in the film, I feel, and I really enjoyed playing that, and the audience seemed to have enjoyed watching me do it, too. So, I guess these were two very different in a really good way and worked very well for me.
In Khel Khel Mein, you played a vulnerable character for a change.
You know, most of my characters start off vulnerable and but slowly find their own. Usually, that’s the arc for a lot of these female characters that I have portrayed. So hence, this also might be around that, but again, in a different way because I’ve never been so submissive. The genre and tone of the film were also such that I had to portray it in a certain way, and I tried doing that because I feel an actor’s job is to actually give into the genre and the tone of the film. So, I did that. Eventually, she does take control or find her voice, and she says what she has always had in her mind. I think the way Mudassar Ali had written it was so beautiful that even in an ensemble that character could really hold its own. I think my job was more than half done with the writing that Mudassar had given me. So, my job was just to not spoil it. I’m just so grateful that someone like him had the courage to come up with such a character for me because these in- your-face vulnerable characters are not the ones that filmmakers really reach out to me for. So, I’m really happy that he thought of me.
In Khel Khel Mein, you also showed a comic flair.
Mudassar believed that I could have a sense of comic timing in this kind of zone as well. So, yeah, I mean, I rarely get to do comedy, so I really enjoy doing a little bit of it. I tried it in Dunki, and now in this… I think it really made me have fun with my character, and I think that’s where the audience also enjoyed it.
How do you look back on the year?
I think I’ve had a prolific year in a different way than the previous years. I had Dunki last year, which was possibly, you know, my biggest film after so many years, even with the amount of money it collected, I can say that. And this year, I had like these two releases back to back, which was so diverse, got me so much of recognition and love, had my own franchise going. So, it was prolific in its own way. I don’t know; maybe the definition of prolific will change every year. And the pace has changed and that was plan and unplanned both.
How so?
Planned in a way because, see the things need to change after a certain years, because after you’ve done a certain kind of work and people say, ‘I’ve seen you and know what you’re capable of’. You need to up the stakes, change the route a little bit, and try more unknown territories slowly. Hence, the pace will change and not otherwise like not for the sake of, you know, like doing different kinds of films for or the heck of it, but purely because I want to increase the stakes of my films now.
Is it getting increasingly difficult for you to find roles that excite you?
Well, yes, you are right; it gets a little difficult to find roles that don’t overlap with your previous characters because, yes, we do have limitations in terms of strong, sensible, or, you know, in-depth characters for women are written. Definitely, they do come to me, but somewhere, they want me to do similar stuff. So, I have to try and see how I can change things because sometimes I don’t get that many different diverse options to choose from, and I don’t want to keep repeating myself; otherwise, it will feel like a desk job, which I don’t want to do. So, yeah, so it does get difficult, and hence, the pace of the things, as you mentioned before, will obviously change because there will be these few little gems I’ll be able to find here and there. So, the audience I hope they keep, they have some patience with me while I choose something that’s really worth everybody’s time and money.
Walk me through your plans for 2025?
My plans are very obvious and simple nothing so excitingly different. I do intend to go ahead with films that are going to have higher stakes than previous films so that I can continue getting some really good budgets approved for my films because then with your film successful only then you know you get bigger budgets for your next films so that I can make films with bigger stakes more challenges because then it’s going to be exciting for me to or do those films and the audience will be excited to watch it because they’ll know something different is coming. I’m planning… I’m hoping I’m going to balance my OTT and theatrical presence. Apart from Gandhari, directed by Devashish Makhija, nothing has been announced, so I, unfortunately, cannot tell you much about it, but I can definitely say that there will be something announced very soon for you to know what I’m planning to do in 2025.
And as a producer?
As far as my film production is concerned, it’s liberating. More than liberating, I’ll say you feel a sense of ownership because you are the one who’s going to put things together, put the team together, and choose the right person to do a certain role, and that’s very…you know, that gives a sense of responsibility, but it’s also extremely challenging.
More challenging than being an actor?
As an actor you’re only responsible for your yes or no but when you become a producer you’re responsible to get a yes from everybody and hoping everybody’s on the same page and keep everyone together which is a far more difficult and challenging than just being an actor on set.
How has life changed after marriage?
Well, I think nothing changed, and that was the condition for me to get married. The fact that nothing should change and both me and Mathias (Boe) were on the same page as far as that(marriage) was concerned. So, yes, nothing has changed except the fact that I had to throw an expensive party for all my family and friends. So, it did reduce my bank balance a little bit.
