Taapsee Pannu says she was replaced in Pati Patni Aur Woh: ‘Kangana Ranaut didn’t support me’

Actor Taapsee Pannu has said that Kangana Ranaut offered her no support when she was replaced on film projects. Kangana has been on a crusade against powerful people in the film industry, whom she describes as ‘movie mafia’, and the ‘B-grade’ actors who support them.

In an interview to CNN-News18, Taapsee said that she has been replaced in films, but chose to be self-reliant in her career. “I did lose films to star kids. I’ve been replaced unprofessionally in the films I had spoken about. There are two ways - either you depend on the biggies to support you consistently and help you reach the position that you eventually want to, or you make one for yourself regardless of anyone supporting you or not. I decided to depend on myself. I choose to be ‘atmanirbhar’. I made sure I got the kind of films I wanted to do and the path of my own. It might take longer but I will have my own journey. I have no regrets,” she said.

Explaining further, Taapsee said that she was replaced in the 2019 film Pati Patni Aur Woh, but Kangana did not stand up for her then, as she is standing up for ‘outsiders’ after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. “We all fight our own battles, Sushant was fighting his. I was replaced in Pati Patni Aur Woh, she didn’t come and support me, I didn’t ask for it also,” Taapsee said.

Pati Patni Aur Woh, a remake of the 1978 film of the same name, starred Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar and newcomer Ananya Pandey. Taapsee said that the audience is just as complicit in the nepotism that the film industry works on. She said, “Industry is one part of nepotism. But so is the media and the audience. Why don’t they watch our films, first day first show? Why didn’t they make Sonchiriya a big hit? Why don’t they go for outsiders’ films the way they go for the star kids’ films?”

At the time, Taapsee had told Indian Express, “One film out of my career is not going to make me lose a National Award. The problem wasn’t that. The problem was unprofessionalism which I wanted to call out.”

After recently being called a ‘B-grade’ actor by Kangana, Taapsee said, “One thing that I have maintained in all my interviews consistently, from the beginning till now, since the time that this insider-outsider debate has started, is the fact that I am a very proud outsider. Right or wrong, good or bad, success or failure, it is my journey. But here, what irked me and I felt like speaking up, was the fact that I was getting discredited.”

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