"Believe in yourself." Cliché? Yes! But that is actor Taapsee Pannu’s mantra for success. Taapsee celebrates her 36th birthday today (1 August).
An engineering graduate with no inclination towards acting, she made her debut with the 2010 Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, directed by Raghavendra Rao (who also launched Sridevi).
After a few blockbuster films down south, all her films tanked at the box office, and she was labelled as 'bad luck'. Directors stopped casting her because they thought the film would not make money. But that didn’t undermine her confidence. She didn’t give up and went on to prove that she is not just talented but also a ‘bankable’ actor.
"I started modelling only to get some extra pocket money. After I completed my engineering, I failed the CAT exam. I was getting a few Tamil and Telugu film offers and I just accepted those, for some fun and to experiment. Everything went off well in the South and soon I got a chance in Bollywood and I came to Mumbai. So, basically, I made the most of every opportunity that came my way and I’m glad I did that because if I hadn’t taken those risks, my life wouldn’t be what it is. I didn’t know anybody from the industry, I had no Godfather, so I knew that it won’t be easy. But, that’s the fun of it, when you take up the challenges life throws at you and come out as a winner."Taapsee Pannu
Watch the video for more.
Camera: Sanjoy Deb
Edit: Ashish Maccune and Veeru Krishan Mohan
Camera Assistant: Gautam Sharma
Producer: Divya Talwar
(This video is from The Quint’s archives and was first published on 8 January 2019. It is now being republished to mark the 36th birth anniversary of Taapsee Pannu.)
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