Taapsee Pannu’s brought up occurred within an environment, where it was easier for her to question anything which struck her as puzzling, however, the true meaning of the word patriarchy became clear to her after she debuted within Bollywood.
Taapsee has always pushed the envelope with films covering domestic abuse and violence, from Pink, to Mulk and even Saand ki Aankh.
During an interview with PTI, Taapsee spoke at length about the topic. She revealed, "I have understood the meaning of the word patriarchy in recent years... like if the father says you cannot go out, you don't question that. Your mother may agree with you but she is just running the house, so it does not matter. You have to be in the house by 8 pm because guys can't control themselves.”
Taapsee realized down the road that it is important to make ample changes within her own life as a result of that, she stated, "Small things about gender parity and pay parity... But you cannot change that by just shouting that 'this is not right'. You have to ensure that people start to recognise that change through your work. Maybe the new generation will not see the difference but the generation next to us will.”
For a country, as obsessed with cinema as India, the power present within this medium is something which can be used as a tool to help guide the masses towards the right direction.
Taapsee believes, "People listen to you. They may agree or disagree with you, but they will listen to you. In this day and age, who has the time to even do that? If you have been given that kind of power, then you can use that power in the right direction sometimes.”
However, it is always important to remember that great power comes with great responsibility. "When, in the beginning, I managed one or two issued-based films and saw that people were listening and the movies had started a discussion, I realized 'this is power, and one should use it in the right manner'."
Taapsee has not let her popularity get to her head however, she is keenly aware of the direction she is headed and is adamant to make an informed decision regarding her career and any films she signs off on. "I am not ready to leave a single of these films. I have worked really hard to achieve a level where people today are ready to wait for me. I am not ready to leave any of these films because I have waited for a long time to have these movies and say they are mine.”
She believes, "I have a clear mind. I have rarely had grey areas in my life where you are confused about what you want to do. I don't know where it comes from but this has really helped me in the long run.”
"This is why when I have to criticize something, I don't do it for the wrong reason. I don't target people. So I don't get that kind of backlash. You can take a dig at me but I will never answer that and that's my 'cheap thrill'. Life is really small and I have to do a lot so I will not spend my time or energy on you,” the star concluded by saying.