By Celebrated Hindi cinema actress Taapsee Pannu, known for her remarkable performances, once faced a challenging phase in her career when she was perceived as an unlucky charm due to her Telugu films’ lackluster performance at the box office. As she marks her birthday on Tuesday, August 1, let’s take a look at her cinematic journey.
Taapsee made her debut in the Tamil movie Aadukalam, directed by Vetrimaaran and starring Dhanush in the lead. The film received critical acclaim and garnered multiple National Awards. She subsequently appeared in several Telugu films before gaining attention in the Akshay Kumar-starrer Baby in 2015. Her roles in movies like Pink, Thappad, and Manmarziyaan further solidified her position as one of Hindi cinema’s most bankable female actors.
In an old interview with Scroll, Taapsee candidly spoke about the challenging period in her career when she was branded as an unlucky factor for films. She shared, “Everyone started calling me an unlucky girl and an unlucky charm because a couple of my films in Telugu did not work. Honestly, I would not say that I thought a lot about these films before signing them, because I had no clue at the time.”
However, she used this experience as a learning opportunity. Taapsee reflected on how she had initially chosen projects based on credible names, but that approach didn’t yield favorable results. Being a non-filmy background actor, she embraced her mistakes and took control of her career decisions. Despite facing blame for a film’s underperformance, where her role was limited, she refused to let it weigh her down. Instead, it motivated her to prioritize her own choices over others’ opinions.
Following a busy year with six releases, Taapsee took a much-needed break. Her upcoming projects include Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki, where she will be seen alongside Shah Rukh Khan, and other films like Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan, Phir Aayi Haseen Dillruba, and Jana Gana Mana.
Taapsee Pannu’s journey in the film industry reflects her resilience and determination to thrive, proving that setbacks can be turned into stepping stones to success.