‘Films Like Dunki Don’t Pay Me Much’: Taapsee Pannu opens up about pay disparities in Bollywood

Taapsee Pannu is one of the few actresses in showbiz known for speaking her mind openly and confidently. The diva, who was last seen in Khel Khel Mein, recently sat down for an interview with Kanika Dhillion for Indian Express where she spoke length and breadth about her journey.

During the interview, Taapsee Pannu, as an actor-producer, shared insights on choosing scripts, filmmaking difficulties, budget challenges, and casting biases.

Contrary to common perception, Taapsee revealed that she does not receive big paychecks for big movies like Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki or Varun Dhawan’s Judwaa 2.

Talking about the challenges of landing roles in big movies, Taapsee said, “Now even the audience knows that heroes decide who the heroine is going to be in most of their films until you have a very big, super successful director, who has his or her own audience. Then the director will take a call no matter what.”

She further added, "It’s a struggle to get cast in major films not produced by me."

Taapsee, who has worked in SRK, Akshay Kumar and Varun Dhawan in Dunki, Mission Mangal and Judwaa 2, has further said that in about 75 percent of cases, the hero has a strong influence on who the heroine will be. The hero often prefers someone who is currently trending or attracting more audience attention. Some actors are secure, while others prefer to choose someone who won’t overshadow them.

The Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba star also pointed out that male stars not only influence film casting but also get a say in choosing female actors for brand endorsements. She shared that this initially left her feeling “angry.”

Taapsee proved her mettle in acting with her powerful performances with movies like like Pink, Thappad, Rashmi Rocket and Shabaash Mithu. Taapsee, who was last seen in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba and Khel Khel Mein, has joined hands with write-producer Kanika Dhillon for a new feature film, titled Gandhari.