Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu has candidly acknowledged that her career would not exist in its current form without the rise of women-centric cinema in India, adding that she has never been offered the conventional heroine roles that define mainstream Bollywood. The actor made these remarks in a recent interview, speaking with characteristic directness about the realities of her journey in the film industry.

No Conventional Offers, No Apologies

'I wouldn't have had a career like mine if such films hadn't been made,' Pannu said. 'Some people had the courage to make it and some people had the courage to watch it. So, that's why actors like me are still working a little. Some years are good, some are not.'

Pannu was equally unsparing about the nature of her opportunities, rejecting any suggestion that she turned down mainstream roles by choice. 'There are many actresses like me, I feel, who don't get the role of conventional heroines. So, I am not going to be on that higher pedestal and say, I refused those films. No, I didn't get it. I have always got challenging movies and I chose the one that I liked,' she said.

The Fragile Economics of Female-Led Cinema

The actor offered a frank assessment of how the industry processes both the success and failure of women-driven films — treating each as a verdict on the entire category rather than on individual projects. 'Trust me, all of us celebrate it. Because we feel, at least one has worked. At least, investors will have hope that, yes, such films work. So, let's invest a little more,' she said.

The flip side, she noted, is equally consequential. 'Everyone feels the failure of one of them is a setback. Because if one of them fails, everyone feels, then our project should not get dropped. Because people should not feel that female-driven cinema is not working,' Pannu added. This collective-stakes dynamic, she suggested, creates both solidarity and anxiety among actresses navigating the same narrow lane.

A Filmography Built on Unconventional Choices

Pannu's track record bears out her words. Over the past decade, she has anchored a string of women-led films — Pink (2016), Naam Shabana (2017), Mulk (2018), Thappad (2020), Rashmi Rocket (2021), Haseen Dillruba (2021), and Dobaaraa (2022) — each built around a woman confronting a distinct social or personal conflict. From standing up against patriarchal attitudes in Pink to choosing self-respect over a troubled marriage in Thappad to playing an athlete fighting systemic barriers in Rashmi Rocket, her characters have consistently operated outside the conventional heroine template.

She acknowledged, however, that the industry's appetite for such films has been uneven. 'The industry has come a long way in terms of the frequency of female-led films,' she said, 'while the journey has not always been consistent.' Despite that, she said she and her peers continue because they have little choice — and because they believe the tide will eventually turn. 'But if you give up now, maybe it will never change. So, on that hope, me and my colleagues who try and keep attempting it because we have no other option,' she said.

What's Next: Gandhari

Pannu's next release is Gandhari, scheduled for 3 September, in which she plays a mother whose child has been abducted. The film blends action with emotional intensity, following her character's desperate quest to bring her child back. It represents another departure from the conventional — combining the physical demands of an action role with the psychological weight of a mother's grief.