Taapsee Pannu has consistently chosen roles that refuse to put her in a box. From playing a young woman caught in a courtroom battle to stepping into the shoes of a spy, a real-life sharpshooter and a woman questioning the foundations of her marriage, the actor has repeatedly gravitated towards characters that demand something new from her.
Her next, Gandhari, promises to take that experimentation a step further. The Netflix revenge thriller follows a mother searching for and trying to rescue her kidnapped child. As anticipation builds around Gandhari, here is a look back at five films that saw Taapsee venture into distinctly different worlds and demonstrate why she remains one of the more adventurous actors of her generation.
- Pink – A Courtroom Drama That Became a Social Conversation
Pink was more than a courtroom drama; it became an important mainstream conversation around consent, victim-blaming and the judgement women face. Taapsee played Minal Arora, one of three young women whose lives change after an incident leads to a courtroom battle. - Naam Shabana – When Taapsee Became the Action Hero
Before female-led action films became increasingly common, Naam Shabana put Taapsee at the centre of an espionage story. A spin-off and prequel to Baby, the film expanded the story of Shabana Khan, with Taapsee taking on the role of a trained intelligence operative. - Saand Ki Aankh – Transforming Into a Real-Life Sharpshooter
In Saand Ki Aankh, Taapsee moved far away from the urban characters she had become associated with and stepped into the life of Prakashi Tomar, one of India’s celebrated sharpshooters. The film follows Prakashi and Chandro Tomar, who took up competitive shooting later in life and went on to make a name for themselves. - Thappad – The Quiet Power of Saying “Enough”
Thappad presented Taapsee with a very different kind of challenge. As Amrita, she played a homemaker whose seemingly settled life is shaken after her husband slaps her at a party. What follows isn’t a conventional revenge story but an introspective examination of dignity, marriage, compromise and the lines people are expected to cross in relationships. - Haseen Dillruba – A Dangerous Mix of Romance, Mystery and Desire
Haseen Dillruba took Taapsee into perhaps her most unpredictable territory at the time. As Rani Kashyap, she played a woman trapped in a complicated marriage and a murder investigation, with the story constantly blurring the lines between love, desire, manipulation and deception.