International Women’s Day! Taapsee Pannu: Women are burdened with expectations of living up to a holier-than-thou image – CB exclusive!

If there’s one thing that makes Taapsee Pannu stand out from her contemporaries then it’s her choice of roles. Clearly, she seems to have a knack of playing characters that are not the quintessential perfect women on screen. “Yes, I play characters that are flawed and far from perfect. But that’s because that’s how real women are. It’s the society that puts them on a pedestal and expects them to be holier-than-thou. Women strangle their desires in trying to live up to these expectations all their lives,” says Taapsee. The actress is gearing for the release of her thriller the Sujoy Ghosh-directed Badla that also stars Amitabh Bachchan today (March 8). In the film, she is shown to have an extra-marital affair and is unfazed about it too.

Talking about it, Taapsee says, “I don’t advocate extra-marital affairs, but I would not advocate that a woman compromise and stay in a marriage that is making her unhappy either.” Taapsee adds, “I just feel that women should take charge of their lives and not be dictated by the society when it comes to her personal happiness. In fact, today on Women’s Day this is what I would wish for all women. To find a voice, address and assert their individual selves.”

Not just Badla, the actress has often played roles that defy society norms. In Manmarziyaan (2018) she played a girl in love with her ex-boyfriend while being married to another man. In Pink (2016) too she takes on the influential men who try to molest them, instead of cowering down. Besides, these two, she also did Naam Shabana (2017), where she kills her abusive father. With films like these, she’s clearly an inspiration for many women who connect with her real situations and characters. Which of Taapsee Pannu’s film is your favourite? Do let us know in the comments section below. And meanwhile, stay tuned to CineBlitz for the latest news and Bollywood updates.