There was a time when Taapsee Pannu carved out a niche for herself with films like Pink (2016), Naam Shabana (2017), Mulk (2018), Badla (2019), Saand Ki Aankh (2019), and Thappad (2020), among others. Despite being unconventional, some of her films, like Pink and Badla, collected Rs. 65.39 crores and Rs. 87.99 crores, respectively. Post-pandemic, her box office trajectory is sliding. Do Baaraa (2022) folded at Rs. 5.35 crores while Shabaash Mithu (2022) had a lifetime of just Rs. 2.23 crores. She attempted films with prominent stars such as the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki (2023) and the Akshay Kumar-starrer Khel Khel Mein (2024). But while the former was an average flick, the latter also flopped at the box office. Her recently released film, Assi, won’t even cross the Rs. 10 crores mark, though the word of mouth is unanimous. We asked the trade what Taapsee Pannu should do to get back in the top league.
Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “She’s doing very well. She’s choosing the right films. But a bit of mainstream would also help. It’s important to balance. In the 80s, there were actresses like Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Deepti Naval, etc. They used to dabble in both commercial and arthouse films. That balance is very important. If Shabana had to do a Shyam Benegal film, she would also work in Prakash Mehra’s film. The same goes for Smita Patil.”
Actor-producer Viveck Vaswani added to this point, “Smita Patil was working on films like Umbartha (1982), Mirch Masala (1985), Arth (1982), Manthan (1977) etc. and she was also working in Namak Halaal (1982), Badle Ki Aag (1982) and Shakti (1982). In Aakhir Kyon (1985), she, at least, had a meaty role, although parametrically, it was a commercial film. But there was nothing for her to do in Namak Halaal except dance in the rain with Amitabh Bachchan! But she understood that working on that film would help her bag four more films in which she could use her weight to help them at the box office. That’s what Taapsee will have to do.”
Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director at film production and distribution firm Karmic Films, stated, “She needs to do a commercial film. She should pursue a film like Khel Khel Mein. I wonder who’s advising her.”
Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, Bihar, explained, “Let certain genres rest for 3-4 years. Let there be a gap and a lack of supply in the market. And then you’ll see a demand for it. When genre migration happens, people mistake it by assuming ‘Cinema khatam ho gaya’ or ‘actor khatam ho gaya’. Even Sunny Deol went through it. He’s doing the same kind of films at present that he did in 2001. He was rejected at one point and blamed for doing the same kind of action films. Consequently, nobody made such films for 10-15 years. Now, since there's a lack of such content, he is benefiting.”
He continued, “A solid actor is able to switch genres and reinvent himself or herself in every genre. Shah Rukh Khan reinvented himself. So, people need to be surprised and we have to give them something new. Sadly, Taapsee is not able to do that. Had she done an out-and-out high-wire, intense love story like Tere Ishk Mein (2025), it would have worked for sure. But she has the image of being politically correct and on the right side of things. She’s unable to get out of that zone. Probably, producers feel more comfortable bankrolling that kind of cinema with her. However, it won’t work right now. Maybe, 5 years down the line, it’ll again start working as no one would be making such cinema anymore.”
Viveck Vaswani disagreed slightly, “Thappad was a better film than Assi. Also, the audience today are not very tolerant of indifferent cinema. Give them a Dhurandhar and they’ll give you Rs. 400 crores in 4 weeks. Give them a Tu Yaa Main and they won’t give you collections worth Rs. 5 crores in the first week. What is the magic formula, the secret sauce and what is the right button to press – that is anybody’s guess. Some would say that we should make good cinema. But how do we define good cinema? It’s a mystery that all filmmakers, including me, are trying to solve. What I truly believe is that regardless of the genre, it has to entertain.”
Despite her track record, trade experts maintained that she’s a worthy actor. Vishek Chauhan said, “Even though the audience right now is not interested in Assi, it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad film. It does not even mean that Taapsee is finished.”
Taran Adarsh stated, “One should keep working, irrespective of where the film will be released. That keeps you around and helps you hone your skills and explore diverse subjects. Taapsee is doing very well in this regard. I would give shabaashi to her for her choice of subjects. Not many actresses have the courage to do that.”
Viveck Vaswani signed off by saying, “She is at the peak of her career. She doesn’t have to make choices that her agents make for her. She is one of the rare actresses who reads scripts herself. Most of them make their hairdressers read the script and give an opinion. She is also an intelligent businesswoman. She definitely has a long innings in front of her.”
More Pages: Tere Ishk Mein Box Office Collection , Tere Ishk Mein Movie Review
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