Actor Taapsee Pannu, who has been more rather than less prolific during the pandemic, was named Entertainment Leader of the Year at CNBC-TV18's India Business Leaders Awards (IBLA) 2022 ceremony on Friday. Previous winners of the award include producer-director Karan Johar and actor Deepika Padukone.
The recognition came Pannu's way after a year in which she played the lead in more than 10 films across genres- from the pulpy Haseen Dillruba and sports film Rashmi Rocket to Loop Lapeta, a remake of the sci-fi classic Run Lola Run. Some of these films are in the post-production stage or have been completed, and likely to be released this year. Her latest film, Mishan Impossible (Telugu), releasing today, is an action comedy in which she plays an investigative journalist.
Winning the Entertainment Leader of the Year award at the 17th India Business Leader Awards is @taapsee. Congratulations to the winner. #LeadersOfChange #CNBCTV18IBLA #IBLA @StanChartIN #HindustanTimes pic.twitter.com/0c4DLIUBSi— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) April 1, 2022
Over the past 12 months, Pannu has also launched her own production house, Outsider Films. Its first film, Blurr, a thriller with Pannu as the lead actor, is expected to release soon. She has spoken up for gender pay parity in the film industry, and for making room for “outsiders” -- or people without pre-existing links to the industry - in mainstream cinema.
So many movies, so many avatars
To be sure, there are other actors who have become more rather than less prolific during the pandemic too - thanks to viewers’ increased appetite for on-demand entertainment as they stayed home for months on end while COVID-19 raged.
Actors like Vidya Balan, Shefalee Shah and Huma Qureshi have also given memorable performances in movies released on streaming platforms, often as strong female leads in stories that challenge gender-based prejudices. Pannu fits right in with this set of actors effecting a palpable shift in the way mainstream cinema and episodic entertainment imagines roles for women.
And if Pannu seems to have defied attempts at typecasting since her 2010 debut in the Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, then this is at least partially a deliberate strategy.
In an interview to Moneycontrol earlier this year, Pannu said: “...when I started acting, I started picking up films which are going to be very different for me in terms of the mood, feel and going on set. I am scared of going into a loop in life.”
Versatility in an actor’s filmography is rare and can be refreshing. One need only to look back at Pannu’s role in Badla to see that she’s not afraid to play morally ambiguous roles even -- a litmus for actors typically cast as the good guy/girl.
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