“It faces all these extra judgments…fewer footfalls”: Taapsee on box office struggles of women-centric films

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 21: Taapsee Pannu is no stranger to taking on challenging roles that push the boundaries of traditional cinema. With a career that spans critically acclaimed films like ‘Pink’ ‘Thappad,’ and ‘Mulk,’ Tapsee has straddled genres to showcase her creativity as an actor.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Taapsee shared her thoughts on the ebb and flow of women-centric films in Bollywood and why such films often struggle to achieve the same box office success as “male-driven films”.

Taapsee believes that films centred on women face more judgment because they are still considered “new” in a male-dominated industry.

“What women are doing is always going to be subjected to more judgment because it’s relatively new to see women doing something. It’s not a common thing. Had it been as common as things with men, which have been going on since time immemorial–like he has to be the breadwinner, he has to be the rightful son, he has to prove himself to be the rightful husband, he has to prove himself to be the rightful father–then it would be normalized. But when a woman talks about these things–what kind of woman is the right kind of wife, mother, or daughter–these are newer topics being viewed from a different lens than before,” she said.

“Previously, it was viewed through a patriarchal lens, determining what is okay for a woman to be according to a man. Now, the lens has changed, and the woman’s perspective is becoming important–how she thinks she wants to live. This is new, and it’s being resisted because it’s not yet normal. Hence, it faces all these extra judgments, and it’s labelled as women-centric cinema. Naturally, there are fewer footfalls in theatres, which is why we have smaller paychecks or lower-value paychecks than men because our films aren’t earning as much as male-driven films or films centered on a male subject,” she added.

According to Taapsee, the audience preference still leans towards seeing the “nice, sweet, bubbly heroine” rather than a strong female character who stands up for herself.

“The majority of footfalls are male, and they want to see their representation as a hero on screen. Their idea of a good female is that nice, sweet, bubbly heroine, not a female who stands up and says how she wants things to be or how she wants her life to be. So, it’s largely driven by the audience’s mandate, where these are the kinds of films they prefer to see,” she said.

The actor also spoke about how women-driven films haven’t really explored humour and flair yet, which are usually seen in male-centric movies.

“Women-driven films are not made with a lot of humour and flair as of now. I think that’s one space a lot of us will slowly start tapping into, where it will be like, ‘We can also do comedy, we can also do heroism,’ but we’ll have to do it in a slightly different way. We need to devise ways and means to create those cracks in the system and get through it,” she said.

Speaking about how her role in ‘Thappad’ has influenced her career and the pride she takes in her filmography, the actor said, “One of the things I keep in mind when I choose my films is that a few years down the line, I’m going to have kids, and I want to be very proud to tell them, ‘This is my filmography.’ I’m extremely proud of films like Thappad that have given me a very strong image and identity,”

Meanwhile, Taapsee is starring in the multi-starrer Khel Khel Mein, which was released on August 15. The film features Akshay Kumar, Ammy Virk, Aditya Seal, and Pragya Jaiswal in lead roles, with Chitrangda Singh making a cameo appearance. Directed by Mudassar Aziz, Khel Khel Mein is produced by Bhushan Kumar and some other prominent producers.

Taapse began her acting career with the Tamil film ‘Aadukalam’. Directed by Vetrimaaran and starring Dhanush, the film was well-received and won several National Awards. Following that, the actress acted in several Telugu movies.

Her big break in Bollywood came with the 2015 film Baby, where she starred alongside Akshay Kumar. She gained further acclaim with her roles in Pink, Thappad, and Manmarziyaan, which helped establish her as a leading actress in Hindi cinema.