Her journey began during her college days when she stumbled upon the Channel V Get gorgeous pageant. She had no experience on the runway and still challenged herself by participating in the pageant. That’s it! She never looked back and became the face of many brands all over the country. Taapsee set a new trend with her mischievous smile and down-to-earth personality. Passionate about dance and cinema, she always knew she would realize her dreams. While many around her questioned her choice of profession, she stood her ground and made them proud. Acting is a profession which requires the actor to be as flexible as clay and she proved her versatility by playing tough in Baby and a pretty belle in Aadukalam. Her innocence has impressed many around the country and she continues to rock that screen every time!
Taapsee’s family was all about her getting a higher education and her dad always encouraged her to study what she chose to. She loved mathematics and decided to pursue it post school. During her second year in Engineering, it hit her that as much as she loved numbers, this wasn’t what she wanted to do. She says, “My dad is huge on education and I did not really want to quit when I was half way through. I always believe in completing what we start and though I was taking up modelling assignments, I decided to work hard and finish my Engineering. I had already landed a job in my third year but I did not take it up. I scored 88 in my CAT and was ready to do my MBA and was sure this would have got me into one of the best B-schools. But fate had made parallel plans for me while I was busy looking at the corporate world.”
Being a Punjabi girl who was brought up in Delhi, foraying into Telugu movies was a bigger challenge. She did not understand the language and had to leave her family and stay in Hyderabad where she learned the language and starred in many blockbuster movies. “I stayed in Hyderabad for two years and as difficult as it was, people around me accepted me and helped me learn each day. Jhummandi Naadam was my debut movie and I was on cloud 9 when it was a huge success. I believe the road ahead for me has been much easier than it is for many. I am grateful that I could achieve what I did and will always be,” she says.
Taapsee’s family was proud of her as she scored well during and after her Engineering and was as shocked when they realised she was going to give it away to make it big in the film world. After some convincing, they supported her in all her decisions. Speaking of her family, she says, “My parents were not very happy about my choice of profession but they never stopped me from doing what I love. I still remember my dad who never comments on my movies, called me and said he liked the fight scene in Baby. That may sound simple, but for me, it will always be the best compliment ever.”
With almost a dozen films in Telugu and Tamil and a couple in Hindi, we can easily say she belongs to all facets of cinema. However,Taapsee finds it amusing that in all three industries she is termed an asset of the other. “People in Telugu Industry think I am a Bollywood actress, in Tamil they think I am a Telugu actress and in Bollywood they think I am a South Indian actress. Phew! I am just going with the flow and I believe language is not really a boundary and an actor should not limit himself/herself and try all genres and languages. I am happy where I am and I don’t label myself as an actress of a certain language,” she adds.
Being one of the top ranked actresses can’t be as simple as it sounds and Taapsee says she does believe that if you do your best in the role you have given, it’s not difficult to maintain your stand when it comes to good cinema. She says, “I don’t feel jealous of any of my peers’ roles or success. When I see them doing good movies, I do feel happy for them. It’s important to co-exist cordially and each one has enough space to do a lot of work.” Somehow, Taapsee has managed to keep her ground and did not let her success get to her as she believes, “Acting is a profession which won’t stay with many for decades together. We are all here for a little time and I want to do my best in the years that I spend in the industry and make the most of it. I don’t really have time to feel jealous or think about anyone else’s work.”
Gossip mongers don’t leave any given chance to link co-stars. While some love stories did come true, some die once the movie is over. In any case, it’s no surprise that two good looking stars are always linked together. Many of Taapsee’s co-stars are married and she laughs it off saying, “I have been linked with my co-stars but it’s giving rumour mills a hard time as most of my co-stars are married and they managed to link me only with Jammy(Arya) as he is one the only unmarried of the lot. It’s funny how colleagues are just linked without any proof.”
She adds, “Earlier my parents would read news and gossip columns about my affairswith my co-stars and as time went by they have accepted that it’s a part of my profession and I have told them not to believe in any unless they speak to me first.”
It’s a well-known fact that Taapsee is dating Mathias Boe, a renowned badminton player and refuses to talk about it. Her relationship has been a talk of the town and she says she likes keeping it private. She feels she is working hard on her career and the talk about her private life is not very welcoming. “Yes, I am in a relationship and it has been written about. However, I don’t like talking about it as I want my work to speak for myself and not my relationship. I like to keep my personal life private. When I give interviews, somehow whatever I speak about my work takes a backseat and my relationship makes headlines. That doesn’t make me very happy,” she adds.
Taapsee Unplugged
Chick flicks or action movies? Romantic chick flicks anyday
Favorite actor? Hrithik Roshan! “I’m gonna faint if I see him. I think he is absolutely hot.”
Top romantic destination? Bora Bora, haven’t visited yet!
You don’t leave your house without? House keys
Shopaholic? Absolutely, yes!
Favorite food? Chole Bhature, Aloo Tikki
Style Mantra? Effortless style
Present diet? Gluten free and lactose free diet