Taapsee Pannu talks about rift with Kangana Ranaut, says 'Her sister called me her cheap copy'

Taapsee Pannu and Kangana Ranaut rift

• Taapsee Pannu denies any real feud with Kangana Ranaut
• Taapsee says rivalry narrative was created by public perception
• Both actors rose in Bollywood without industry connections

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For years, gossip columns and social media timelines have tried to cast Taapsee Pannu and Kangana Ranaut as rivals locked in a simmering feud.

Yet, if Taapsee Pannu is to be believed, the so-called fight has largely been a creation of public perception rather than personal reality.

Speaking recently on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast while promoting her new film Assi, Taapsee Pannu appeared more amused than aggrieved by the long-running narrative. She calmly questioned the very foundation of the alleged clash.

She said, “I don’t know when I ever fought. A fight happens when two people clash. I never clashed. You tell me — have I ever said even a single line against her? Her sister called me a ‘cheap copy.’ She said that since I don’t earn as much money here, that makes me cheap. If she is such a brilliant actress, I have no problem being called her copy. You can take out any statement of mine — I haven’t said anything against her.”

Her reference was to comments made years ago by Kangana Ranaut’s sister, Rangoli Chandel, who publicly labelled Taapsee Pannu a “cheap copy”.

The remark sparked headlines and online debate, with many assuming it had permanently soured relations between the two actors.

However, neither Taapsee Pannu nor Kangana Ranaut has directly criticised the other in interviews, and the tension appears to have been amplified more by spectators than by the women themselves.

There is also a shared thread in their journeys that often goes unmentioned. Both actors entered the Hindi film industry without powerful family connections and built their careers from the ground up.

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When asked whether the perception of rivalry may have served others — particularly in an industry often divided between insiders and outsiders — Taapsee Pannu responded thoughtfully: “I don’t know about them, but someone or the other must have benefited in some way. Like I said, from my side, there was never any fight. But I do feel that someone must have gained from it.”

On the professional front, Taapsee Pannu is currently receiving praise for Assi, a courtroom drama directed by Anubhav Sinha and co-starring Kani Kusruti. Kangana Ranaut, meanwhile, was last seen in Emergency and is gearing up for Bharatha Bhhagya Vidhata.