Taapsee Pannu says she tried to ‘seem more glamorous, a little dumb’ to work with big heroes in order to become a star

Taapsee Pannu  has revealed that in her initial days in the industry, she was told to work with big names, look and behave a certain way in order to reach the top. Taapsee featured in several Telugu and few Tamil films before she made her way to Bollywood. 

The actor said she made sure not to repeat her mistakes once she started featuring in Hindi films. 

The Thappad actor told Cosmopolitan India in an interview, “In the beginning, I was told that the only way to become a star was to work in big-ticket films. Alongside big heroes, and that’s what took you to the top. And that pretty much meant you had to look ultra-glam, be the diva… look a certain way, and be a certain way. And as I told you, I clearly didn’t fit in. So in the beginning, I tried really hard to change myself, and to seem more glamorous and a little dumb… because, apparently, looking good equals not having a brain.”

The actor made her Bollywood debut with 2013 film Chashme Baddoor. She added, “So I took up certain roles, because that was the norm. And I realised, very quickly, that those films were just not working for me. And that when I did something out-of the box, unconventional, not-so ‘heroine-like, it did work for me. So I realised that being relatable worked better for me, than seeming aspirational. I learnt this lesson while working on films in the South, so when I switched to Bollywood, I knew that I would not repeat my mistakes.”

Also read: Taapsee Pannu says she got her curly hair chemically straightened twice: ‘Was horrified when my hair began falling’

Taapsee was recently seen in Haseen Dillruba, Annabelle Sethupathi and Rashmi Rocket on OTT platforms. She has several films in pipeline, including Looop Lapeta, Dobaaraa, Shabaash Mithu, Blurr and Mishan Impossible. She is currently shooting for Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan?