It’s Pan Indian actress Taapsee Pannu’s birthday and there’s a lot to look forward to from her this year. Hailing from New Delhi, this Punjabi kudi began her career as a software engineer and soon tried her hand in modelling. Post that, she took up acting and there’s been no looking back since then. She made her cinema debut in 2010 with K. Raghavendra Rao’s romantic musical Jhummandi Naadam and since, she featured in several Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi projects.
Cut to 2018, Taapsee is recognised as a popular face, featuring in many top Bollywood films, even sharing screen space with Amitabh Bachchan. Here’s a look at Taapsee’s most memorable roles over the years and see how far she’s come!
Aadukulam (2011)
She played Irene, an Anglo-Indian girl in Madurai who falls in love with Dhanush’s Karuppu in the film. Their love story initially begins with the regular dose of stalking and persuasion but she, like most heroines in Indian cinema, ends up falling for the hero because, well, he’s the hero. While her character was limited, she was certainly noticed. A pretty face who gets her body language as an Anglo-Indian had offers for Taapsee pouring in soon after.
Mr Perfect (2011)
Taapsee played a free-spirited NRI girl in the film who starts dating Prabhas’ character after a chance set-up. The two share a lot in common, with her having a mind of her own. While her character eventually gets ditched at the end, she doesn’t show and looks strong enough to keep her smile going. A tough role perhaps and she did a fairly commendable job, too.
Kanchana 2 (2015)
While Taapsee hasn’t done a lot of films in Tamil, this film, however, is something one can never forget. In this horror comedy, she plays Nandini, Raghava Lawrence’s character’s girlfriend. She plays the confused yet haunted smart girl who suddenly turns into a believer after a series of strange events. The film gave her enough space to get creative with her role and she does just that, even though the film in itself isn’t something to rave about.
Pink (2016)
Pink was a film that truly rattled the country, in a good way though, where the concept of consent and the logic behind ‘No means No’ was beautifully conveyed in a heartbreaking story of three girls. Taapsee’s character Minal was someone who endured a lot of trauma and pain and yet, she tries to soldier on with support from her two friends and lawyer. She’s afraid but adamant enough to continue the fight, to teach her abusers a lesson even if it means being put on trial with her whole personal life in the open. She played the role with such elan, that even today, many laud this to be her best.
Naam Shabana (2017)
She plays Shabana Khan, a spy who excels in kicking ass and being a discreet ninja of sorts in the most graceful way possible. The film is also named after her character, with this being a female-led drama that many have been looking forward to. This role pretty much slotted Taapsee as an actress who can hold the film all by herself and do a commendable job at it.
