Taapsee Pannu talks about sexism, misogyny in industry, says 'been replaced because hero’s wife didn’t want me in film'

Actress Taapsse Pannu is one who has never shied away from speaking her mind. From getting into an open verbal spat on Twitter with Kangana Ranaut to hitting out at the media for the treatment that was meted out to Rhea Chakraborty whilst the investigation is the death of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput was being carried out, the star hasn't ever stepped back from expressing her opinions. 

And so, in a recent interview, when asked about her brush with sexism and misogyny in the Hindi film industry, the 'Thappad' star told Filmfare in an exclusive chat, "I faced some really weird things in the beginning like she isn’t pretty enough. I’ve been replaced because the hero’s wife didn’t want me to be part of the film. I was dubbing for one of my films and I was told that the hero didn’t like my dialogue so I should change it. When I refused to change it, they got a dubbing artiste to do it behind my back. There was a time when I was told the hero’s previous film didn’t work, so you slash your price because we need to control the budget. There was some hero who wanted my introduction scene changed because he felt it would overpower his introduction scene. These are the things that have happened in front of me, I don’t know what’s happened behind my back."

On how has she coped up with all of it, the actress added, "I decided that from now on, I will only take up films that will make me genuinely happy to go to work. People advised me against it because there might be a point of no return. Whenever a girl has tried to do women-driven films there’s a tag that’s attached to her and male stars are then hesitant to take her as their leading lady. It might be a little harder, longer journey but it’s going to be one that I’m going to enjoy each day. It has worked out till now."

The 'Naam Shabana' actor, who is riding high on the back to back success of her films 'Thappad', 'Badla' and 'Mission Mangal', also spoke about how she was termed as a 'bad luck charm and the 'illusional hate' that she has received on social media during the lockdown. 

"I had these articles written about me saying how I’m a bad luck charm. I just kept thinking that this is not the end of my life. So what if this didn’t work? I’m an engineer, and I can still do my MBA. The problem is that hope gets killed not just by your own sadness, but also by the hate you are surrounded by and give in to. Social media has generated so much hate, I call it illusional hate. Illusional because it is virtual."

She further added, "When I had gone to the Maldives, it was after six-seven months of sitting at home, where your only medium of talking to people was social media and you saw so much hate day in day out that you started believing there’s so much hatred everywhere. But I almost teared up with the kind of love those people showered over me in Maldives, It made me realise the difference between virtual and real," Taapsee told Filmfare.

On being asked if she is doing a film with Shah Rukh Khan with Rajkummar Hirani directing it, Taapsee said that the day it all happens and she signs a film with SRK opposite her, she will be on her 'roof shouting and screaming'.

On the work from, Taapsee has 'Rashmi Rocket', 'Haseen Dilruba' and Hollywood film Run Lola Run’s Hindi adaptation 'Loop Lapeta'.