Tapsee Pannu: “Now I Know Where I Am Going With My Career”

Tapsee Pannu is on Cloud Nine. She  has just returned from the Toronto Film Festival where her new film Manmarziyan was received with  warm appreciation.

 “This was  my first  international film  festival .And  it was overwhelming. I  guess my director Anurag Kashyap is a regular at film festivals. But for me  it was  a novel experience,” says Tapsee happily.

Playing the  mercurial self-obsessed Rumi  was  also a novel experienced  for Tapsee.  “She is so into herself. So convinced about everything in life that she  doesn’t realize how she affects  the  lives of those around her.”

Tapsee wasn’t sure how this impulsive  self-obsessed  girl would be  received  by  the audience. “But the  response has been amazing. People have wondered about  the  physical attraction between  my character and Vicky Kaushal’s. But you see,  our cinema  tends to  overlook how important  physical compatibility  is in a relationship.She shares a great  physical  rapport with her  boyfriend and she celebrates it  at every given opportunity.”

This  is a  new kind of heroine for Hindi cinema. Tapsee says  she  is all for it. “For some time now I’ve been trying to figure what where I belong in our cinema. With films  like Pink,Naam Shabana, Mulk and Manmarziyan I know  the route that I need  to take.And I’m happily taking  it.In fact Mulk is  still in theatres and has become a  talking point  when nowManmarziyan has come  along to claim  people’s attentions. I guess I  am just lucky to be where I am.”

Luck also seems  to play  a part  in Tapsee being naturally skinny. “I am by nature sporty. I don’t have  to go to  the  gym every day to  look the way I do.”