At a time when big-budget entertainers dominate the box office, Taapsee Pannu is asking an uncomfortable question; What happens to films that don’t follow the usual formula? The actor, currently busy promoting her upcoming film Assi, has voiced concern over the shrinking space for women-led and unconventional stories in Hindi cinema. Known for striking a balance between mainstream projects and strong, content-driven films like Pink, Mulk and Thappad, Taapsee believes meaningful cinema is slowly losing ground in theatres.
Speaking to PTI, she did not hold back. “We are on the verge of becoming an extinct species, we mean films like ‘Assi’. There is a certain template that our so-called commercial cinema abides by, and we don’t conventionally fall in that template of sorts.”
It’s a sharp statement, and one that reflects a larger worry within the industry.
Taapsee on why theatrical support matters for women-led films
Assi, directed by Anubhav Sinha, marks Taapsee’s third collaboration with the filmmaker after Mulk (2018) and Thappad (2020). The new film focuses on rising cases of sexual violence against women, with Taapsee playing public prosecutor Raavi. While many assume such films will easily find a home on OTT platforms, Taapsee says that belief is misplaced. “The reality is people think that these kinds of films will keep coming on OTT and we will keep watching it. But no, OTT’s don’t want these kinds of films either. They have clear mandates, that only the films that are working in theatres are the films that they want to pick,” she said.
According to her, streaming platforms are now chasing theatrical hits to expand their subscriber base. “They want to take that theatre audience to their platform. They are like, ‘We already have this kind of audience, we want those massy pot-boiler audiences of our country to subscribe to the platform’, that’s why I say we are on the verge of becoming extinct unless people realise that we need to watch it. Sometimes it’s good to watch reality as well,” she added.
Taapsee Pannu’s cinema analogy: ‘Dal chawal’ vs ‘Mughlai’
To explain her point, Taapsee compared cinema to food. Commercial entertainers may feel like “Mughlai”, rich and heavy, but the industry also needs its “dal chawal”, simple stories that reflect real life.
She called the habit of waiting for OTT releases “suicidal” for meaningful cinema. “We should subscribe to all kinds of cinema. Only the audience can help us by going to theatres and watching (all kinds of) films. I hope they realise this before we lose this. Then we won’t have the right to crib that our cinema cannot compete with world cinema, we only make a particular kind of film.
“We have a lot of people saying we don’t make good, rooted stories. But when did you support rooted stories? Sitting at home and watching it on OTT is not how you support good cinema. If you like the film, spread the word, let more people come into theatres.”
Assi, which also stars Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Kani Kusruti, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Supriya Pathak, Revathi and Naseeruddin Shah, is set to release in theatres on February 20. For Taapsee, the message is clear: if audiences want meaningful cinema, they have to show up for it.
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