'I hope to work with Mani Ratnam'

Mention Taapsee Pannu and the first image that comes to mind is the innocent-looking, simple yet attractive young girl in Aadukalam — the Tamil film that won several national honours, including a national award for her co-star, Dhanush.

Taapsee holds her captivating no-grease paint portrayal in Aadukalam very close to her heart. “I didn’t think that the movie would click so well. I wore absolutely no make up but I guess that’s what people liked the most. I am not a big fan of make up anyway and I think I am blessed with a naturally good skin,” Taapsee tells Metrolife.

She’s busy wrapping up the shooting for her latest bilingual film, Gundello Godari, in which she appears in a pavada davani look and plays a village belle. “Here again, I have minimum make up. It’s a story set in the villages and it’s about people going back to their roots,” she explains. She is also shooting for her Hindi film, Chashme Baddoor and has a couple of Telugu movies lined up as well. 

Ask Taapsee why she chose to debut in a South Indian film rather than head straight to Bollywood — like any other newcomer would — and the young lady quips, “I got better opportunities in the South and besides, I never wanted to get into Bollywood just for the heck of it. And now, when I got a good offer to do a Hindi film, I took it.”  

She’s also acted in the Malayalam film, ‘Doubles’ opposite Mammootty and she says that she’s in a phase where she is open to experimenting with just about any industry. “I have no dream role but I want to do whatever I feel like doing. I go by my instincts and never go according to a plan, because it never works,” she shares. 

In Chashme Baddoor, Taapsee will be seen with some of the biggest names in the film industry — but does she feel insecure in any way? “No, on the contrary, it’s a lot of fun because you learn so much from each other and about each other. Each of the actors has his or her own identity and does his or her own thing,” she says. 

 Taapsee has worked with several directors but she confesses, “I hope to work with Mani Ratnam someday.”