ON TOP OF THE GAME

From being the ‘baby’ in Arrambam to being a rocket scientist in Mission Mangal and turning a shooter for her latest Saand Ki Aankh, Taapsee Pannu has a quality about her that is very convincing. The pretty lass, who is arguably one of the busiest actors currently, also happens to have a matter-of-fact personality that makes her very convincing in person too. We felt for her in Pink, rooted for her in Mulk, had a squirmy time seeing her in Game Over and felt inspired by her in Saand Ki Aankh. We got an opportunity to chat with her recently and here's how well we got along with the brilliant Tapsee Pannu.

There has been a gradual shift in the kind of movies that you work in. Now, when you sign a new project, the audiences have high expectations. Is Pink a reason for this shift?

Yes. Pink gave me a sense of direction of what is expected out of me; this is how the audiences like me. It pointed me to the right path.

Was the shift from commercial movies difficult?

No, it happened very organically. When I started acting in Hindi, I realised my potential as an actor as far as language control was concerned. When I first started acting, I was working in languages I did not understand properly. I was acting according to instructions. Somebody would tell me ‘this is happy line’ or ‘this is a sad situation’ and I would emote accordingly. I did not know the language and I’m not a trained actor. I cannot make it look real; I was not good at making the lines my own. But when I began acting in Hindi, I started realising how I can improvise and how I can add to a character. That realisation came when I acted in my mother tongue and that changed me. It helped me change my choice of films and I started choosing films that interested me rather than because people are advising me or because there is a big actor or director involved.

Which was the most confusing part of your career?