Taapsee Pannu recalls Anurag Kashyap told her to 'go and work with Rohit Shetty' when she said she wanted to be a star

Taapsee Pannu revealed Anurag Kashyap's advice to her when she told him that she wants to be a star. Here's what the filmmaker told her to do.

Actor Taapsee Pannu revealed director Anurag Kashyap's advice to her when she told him she wanted to become a star. In a recent interview, Taapsee recalled Anurag asking her to ‘go and work’ with filmmaker Rohit Shetty. Taapsee also said that before entering Bollywood she had watched only DevD and Gangs of Wasseypur as she 'was definitely not into Anurag’s films'. Taapsee also said that she isn't a star yet or else she would have attracted footfalls 'regardless of how the film was'.

Anurag Kashyap and Taapsee Pannu have collaborated for three films together so far.

Taapsee and Anurag have worked together in three films so far – Manmarziyaan, Saand Ki Aankh and Dobaaraa. Manmarziyaan (2018), directed by Anurag, also features Vicky Kaushal and Abhishek Bachchan in lead roles. Saand Ki Aankh (2019) has been directed by Tushar Hiranandani and produced by Anurag Kashyap, Reliance Entertainment and Nidhi Parmar. The film also features Bhumi Pednekar and Prakash Jha.

In an interview with Indian Express, Taapsee said, “I have told him that I want to be a star, and he has also scolded me. When Anurag and I fought after Dobaaraa’s edit, he said, ‘Why do you work with me? If you want to be a star, go and work with Rohit Shetty!’ But not everyone has the same formula. I want to take a different route to stardom. If Rohit Shetty does not give me a chance, what do I do? As an actor, there is only so much that I can do. I am an actor who wants to become a star. I did whatever I could in my capacity, to do my job. But I am not the director, not the producer of the film. It is eventually team work. Something definitely went wrong somewhere for it to not have worked. I am not a star yet because otherwise I would have attracted footfalls, regardless of how the film was.”

She added, "I was definitely not into Anurag’s films. I can’t watch that kind of dark… The only films I saw in theatres were DevD and Gangs of Wasseypur before I entered the Hindi film industry. The kind of films he used to make did not excite me to go and watch them. Because ‘Itna dil pe patthar rakh ke (with a heavy heart)… pata nahi (don't know) what all will be shown on screen, what kind of language would be used’. I didn’t want to go and watch it! I found Wasseypur funny, which is why I liked it. Unlike all his gory stuff."

Taapsee will be seen next in Anurag's upcoming film Dobaaraa. The film's story revolves around how a woman gets the opportunity to save the life of a 12-year-old boy who witnessed a death during a thunderstorm which happened 25 years ago, by getting connected through the television set during a similar storm in the present. The film, scheduled to release worldwide on August 19, also stars Pavail Gulati.

Apart from that Taapsee will be also seen in Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki alongside Shah Rukh Khan. She was last seen in the biopic film Shabaash Mithu, based on the life of cricketer Mithali Raj.