Actor Taapsee Pannu has shared that she didn’t “get paid a lot” for doing films such as Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dunki and Varun Dhawan-led Judwaa 2. Speaking with Indian Express, Taapsee revealed that in big films, “the hero has a big say on who the heroine is going to be”. The actor added some heroes think that they should “cast someone who will not overshadow me”. (Also Read | Taapsee Pannu takes a dig at Bollywood’s spy thriller fad: ‘Now, everybody wants to do it; I did it so many years ago’)
Taapsee talks about not getting paid much for Dunki
Taapsee said, “Funnily, people think I do films like Judwaa or Dunki for money, that I get paid a lot. But no, it is the opposite – I get paid to do more for films that are headlined by me, like a Haseen Dillruba, and other films don’t really pay me much because they feel they are doing a favour by taking me up in that kind of a film. They feel, ‘There is already a big hero, why do we need anybody else for that?’ I fight these notions on a daily basis.”
Taapsee on how heroines are decided
Taapsee also talked about big films and their heroes. “Now, even the audience knows that heroes decide who the heroine is going to be in most of their films, until you have a very big, super successful director, who has his or her own audience. Then the director will take a call no matter what. But 75 percent of the times, it is the hero who has a big say on who the heroine is going to be. Now, obviously, the hero would want someone who is more in trend, someone who is getting more audience attention right now. Some are secure, others think, ‘Let me cast someone who will not overshadow me’,” she added.
About Taapsee’s films
The actor is renowned for taking up challenging roles and powerful performances in movies such as Pink, Thappad, Rashmi Rocket, and Shabaash Mithu. Taapsee was last seen in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba and Khel Khel Mein.
She gained popularity with films such as The Ghazi Attack, Mulk, Manmarziyaan, Badla and Mission Mangal. She was also seen in Judwaa 2 (2017), helmed by David Dhawan. Apart from Varun Dhawan and Taapsee, it also featured Jacqueliene Fernandez. Her performance in Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki (2023) received a lot of appreciation, in which she was cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan.
