From Pink and Thappad to Aadukalam and Game Over, these 10 films showcase Taapsee Pannu at her most powerful and versatile.
IMAGE: Taapsee Pannu and Myrah Shivan in Gandhari.
Key Points
- In Gandhari, Pannu plays a blind mother on a desperate hunt for her kidnapped child, showcasing a powerful performance alongside Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee, and Mita Vashisht.
- Taapsee’s career highlights include her impactful role in Pink, where she played a sexual assault survivor, and her brief yet memorable action sequence in Baby that led to a spin-off.
- Her performances in Mulk and Thappad are noted for their strong social commentary, addressing Islamophobia and marital dynamics, respectively.
- Films like Game Over and Rashmi Rocket demonstrate Pannu’s versatility, tackling unique horror concepts and the controversial issue of gender testing in sports.
From being introduced as a fair-skinned girl-next-door in the South to becoming one of the most powerful performers among her peers, Taapsee Pannu has had quite the journey since her debut in 2010. And we firmly believe there are still more impressive performances to come.
Her latest release Gandhari is a dark new thriller on Netflix. Directed by Devashish Makhija (Bhonsle, Joram) from a screenplay by Kanika Dhillon (Guilty, Haseen Dillruba, Do Patti), Gandharifollows a mother desperately hunting for her kidnapped baby. Blinded during the abduction, she refuses to let her newly acquired disability stop her relentless pursuit.
The film also stars Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee, and Mita Vashisht.
Sreeju Sudhakaran picks his 10 favourite Tapsee Pannu movies.
Aadukalam (2011)
Where To Watch: SunNXT
IMAGE: Taapsee Pannu in Aadukalam.
Taapsee made her Tamil debut with this Vetrimaaran classic, playing an Anglo-Indian girl who becomes the crush of Dhanush’s protagonist.
Aadukalam is undeniably a superb film when it focuses heavily on its central theme: the intense cockfighting (no pun intended, you dirty minds!) matches and the gritty politics surrounding them, anchored by a National Award-winning performance from Dhanush.
Taapsee also delivers a confident performance. However, the romantic track involving her and Dhanush can be seen as deeply problematic in today’s context, relying on the trope that a woman will eventually wear down and fall for a man who relentlessly stalks her.
Baby (2015)
Where To Watch: Prime Video
IMAGE: Taapsee Pannu in Baby.
Neeraj Pandey’s espionage saga is widely considered one of the best thrillers produced in 21st century Bollywood. Marked by a powerful showing from lead star Akshay Kumar who delivers several cult punchlines here, the movie boasts numerous tense, thrilling sequences as an elite Indian ATS squad hunts down a highly dangerous terrorist outfit.
Taapsee’s screen time is limited; she drops in as an undercover agent. Yet, her brief portion is easily the film’s biggest highlight as she single-handedly tackles a terrorist in a terse hand-to-hand fight in Nepal.
Her character became so instantly popular that it spawned its own spin-off, Naam Shabana. While Akshay Kumar dropped in for an extended cameo, that spin-off was ultimately considered a letdown compared to the sheer thrills of the original.
Pink (2016)
Where To Watch: YouTube
IMAGE: Kirti Kulhari and Taapsee Pannu in Pink.
‘No means No!’ With that single, booming line, Amitabh Bachchan effectively reminded men across the world that certain boundaries cannot be crossed without a woman’s explicit consent.
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Pink (co-credited for its story to Shoojit Sircar) revolves around three women who are sexually harassed by a wealthy brat and his friends. They subsequently find themselves battling a highly fabricated assault case, with Bachchan stepping in as a schizophrenic lawyer to defend them.
Taapsee plays one of the three female leads, and there is a deeply disturbing abduction and molestation car sequence involving her character (that bears an uncanny resemblance to the infamous Kerala actress abduction case that unfolded just months later).
While Pink makes minor compromises in its legal drama to reach a satisfying conclusion, the courtroom proceedings remain incredibly engaging. This is largely thanks to phenomenal performances from Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee, Kirti Kulhari and Angad Bedi.
Also, keep an eye out for a then-rising Vijay Varma, perfectly cast as the villain’s creepy best friend.
The Ghazi Attack (2017)
Where To Watch: Prime Video and Netflix
IMAGE: Rana Daggubati and Taapsee Pannu in The Ghazi Attack.
Within the Indian war drama genre, The Ghazi Attack (or just Ghazi) remains highly underrated. It offers a consistently thrilling experience, backed by strong performances from Kay Kay Menon, Rana Daggubati and Atul Kulkarni.
Inspired by the real-life sinking of the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi during the 1971 War, the plot heavily borrows from the Hollywood submarine thriller Crimson Tide, starring Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington.
The underwater sequences are incredibly gripping and tense, while the climax incorporates patriotism in a peculiar style, deploying the national anthem during a very crucial moment in an interesting manner.
Unfortunately for Taapsee, her character feels like a glaring afterthought. She is awkwardly added to the screenplay purely to ensure there is a female presence on screen, playing a shipwreck survivor randomly rescued by the Indian submarine.
Soorma (2018)
Where To Watch: SonyLIV
IMAGE: Diljit Dosanjh and Taapsee Pannu in Soorma.
A biographical film that rarely gets the discussion it deserves, Shaad Ali’s Soorma brings the inspiring story of hockey player Sandeep Singh to the screen.
His highly promising career was briefly cut short when an accidental gunshot left him paralysed, but he refused to let that put a full stop to his sporting journey.
Anchored by a terrific lead performance from Diljit Dosanjh, Soorma is a captivating sports drama. It does have its flaws, occasionally veering into heavy melodrama, and some of the hockey matches lack the necessary visceral thrill.
The screenplay also insists that the player’s entire journey is motivated by his love for a fellow hockey player, played by Taapsee. With such an important part to play in the storyline, the actress delivers a solid performance in a complex, occasionally (deliberately) unlikable role.
Mulk (2018)
Where To Watch: Prime Video, JioHotstar
IMAGE: Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee Pannu in Mulk.
There is just something potent about combining Taapsee with a courtroom drama. We can say the exact same thing about her ongoing collaboration with Director Anubhav Sinha, which kicked off with this powerful drama delving into the rising tide of Islamophobia in India.
Mulk boasts some genuinely incredible performances, particularly from Rishi Kapoor and Taapsee, alongside rock-solid supporting turns from Manoj Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor and Neena Gupta.
The movie focuses on a Muslim family whose lives are shattered when one of their kin is killed as a terrorist, leading to his father’s arrest on sheer suspicion. Mulk features powerful courtroom exchanges, with Rishi and Taapsee’s characters systematically dismantling the anti-Muslim hate and bigotry deeply embedded within society.
It is definitely a Bollywood codified film, particularly in its showing of the court kacheri and its WhatsApp-inspired counter-arguments, but sometimes you need to be that filmi to get your point across.
Manmarziyaan (2018)
Where To Watch: Eros Now, Z5
IMAGE: Vicky Kaushal and Taapsee Pannu in Manmarziyaan.
Manmarziyaan is a highly unusual Anurag Kashyap concoction, a movie containing absolutely zero violence.
This is not entirely surprising, given that he came on board purely as a replacement director, which was also exactly the case with the three lead actors: Abhishek Bachchan, Vicky Kaushal and Taapsee (replacing Dulquer Salmaan, Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar).
Story-wise, Manmarziyaan breeds familiarity, focusing on a woman deeply torn between her carefree past (an equally carefree boyfriend) and a stable present (a responsible husband), which reminds you of movies like Woh Saat Din and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
But Kashyap’s surprisingly tender and mature handling of the romantic drama, combined with excellent performances from the three leads, transforms it into an absorbing watch.
Game Over (2019)
Where To Watch: YouTube
IMAGE: Taapsee Pannu in Game Over.
Unfortunately, Indian cinema lacks the deeply entrenched geek culture surrounding horror that exists in the West, where cult films are celebrated just as fiercely as masterpieces.
If that culture existed here, would not have faded so quickly from the audience’s memory. Ashwin Saravanan’s bilingual horror film offers an inventive spin on the slasher genre, smartly incorporating video game mechanics into the narrative.
By making the protagonist a PTSD-afflicted sexual assault survivor, the film adds empathetic psychological layers rarely seen in standard slasher flicks. And by confining her to a wheelchair inside her own home when the true horror finally begins, the film amplifies the tension.
Game Over might not completely ace the genre, despite a couple of highly effective jump scares, but it remains a thrilling watch purely for the unique, creative spin it brings to the genre.
Thappad (2020)
Where To Watch: Prime Video and MX Player
IMAGE: Taapsee Pannu in Thappad.
Anubhav Sinha’s hard-hitting (no pun intended) drama asks one very simple question: Should a single slap be enough to destroy what had otherwise been a happy marriage? The answer should a resounding yes.
The titular slap forces the protagonist to reevaluate not only her marriage and her own life but also the true nature of the people surrounding her, including her parents’ marriage. Thappad is arguably Taapsee’s strongest performance to date as she convincingly portrays the transition from this happy wife to a fighter refusing to bow down to societal expectations.
The drama is further elevated by a superb supporting cast, including Dia Mirza, Kumud Mishra, Ratna Pathak Shah, Tanvi Azmi, Ram Kapoor, Pavail Gulati and Manav Kaul.
Rashmi Rocket (2021)
Where To Watch: Z5
IMAGE: Taapsee Pannu and Priyanshu Painyuli in Rashmi Rocket.
Akarsh Khurana’s Rashmi Rocket feels like a traditional sports biopic based on a real-life athlete. In reality, it is a fictional story rooted in the real-life controversies surrounding gender testing, which frequently disqualifies female athletes under the suspicion of being trans.
While the first half plays out as a fairly perfunctory sports drama charting a small-town girl’s rise to the national level, the courtroom proceedings in the second half truly elevate Rashmi Rocket into a solid watch.
It is further bolstered by Taapsee’s strong performance and good supporting turns from Priyanshu Painyuli as the protagonist’s supportive coach and husband, and Abhishek Banerjee as her lawyer.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
