Actress Taapsee Pannu recently sparked widespread controversy following her remarks about her early experiences while working in the South Indian film industry.
Speaking at an interview promoting her latest film, Assi, directed by Anubhav Sinha, Taapsee claimed, “In the South film industry, they used to tell us to wear padded bras for glamour scenes and songs. If we wore padded bras, the difference was visible. Everyone would be watching; because of that, it used to feel uncomfortable and humiliating.”
She also highlighted that “the problem is, who does the director even tell on set? The chain of communication that typically follows is director to assistant director, AD to styling team, styling team to the hair and wardrobe women, and finally to the actress herself.”
According to her, the real embarrassing moment is when “you’re shooting a song, someone gets up in the middle, walks off, and everyone knows exactly what’s happening. All the men are sitting there, watching what looks different when you come back.”
Taapsee further added how there’s a regional difference between how women are portrayed on screen, noting that South cinema focuses more on the women’s navel while Hindi films emphasize the cleavage.
This revelation stirred conversations as a section of social media users agreed about how South cinema primarily focuses on objectifying the bodies of actresses.
While Taapsee noted that the issue is persistent in both industries, social media users accused her of hypocrisy and ingratitude after she pointed out that Bollywood often demands more explicit scenes, including long intimate sequences.
Many noted that the actress has also performed these sequences in multiple Bollywood films without complaints; however, she’s only highlighting the problem within an industry she’s no longer a part of.
Comments under viral posts accused the actress of even being ungrateful towards the Telugu film industry, which gave her the fame and platform before Bollywood.
One user noted that Taapsee has a pattern of making controversial remarks about South Indian cinema anytime she has a Bollywood movie releasing soon. The comment stated, “Gain fame and money in one industry, jump to another for more. When it doesn’t work out, criticize the previous industry for attention.”
In 2017, the actress mocked Telugu director K. Raghavendra Rao for a scene involving a coconut thrown at her midriff, for which she later apologized after severe backlash.
Even though Taapsee’s statements may hold truth about women’s objectification, her timing has fueled public speculations that she often makes these statements right before her film’s release.
