 "Taapsee Pannu talks about working with Anurag Kashyap 'dobaaraa' (again)")
Taapsee Pannu and Anurag Kashyap are all set for the release of their new collaboration that releases in cinemas on 19th August. In this exclusive interview with Firstpost, Pannu talks about her second film with Kashyap, titled _Dobaaraa_ , the relationship between cinema and OTT, and if she felt eerie during the shooting of this time-travel thriller.
What was it like working with Anurag Kashyap again?
I have been in touch with Anurag constantly since we did Manmarziyaan together and even after completing Dobaaraa, we continue to be friends. Out friendship is a very organic progression from professional to personal. We don’t allow the two aspects of our friendship to trespass in the other territory. He is a filmmaker I really need to return to regularly.
Why is that?
He is a stressbuster for me. When I need to surrender to a director whom I can trust blindly, it has to be him. He is a director I can rely on anytime. I am not an audience to the Kashyap kind of films. So I won’t do his kind of films. Hence, when you see me in his cinema, it won’t be the kind of cinema he is known for. It will be lighter.
**Lately, you have had a lot of releases on OTT. How do you see the relationship between cinema and OTT? ** Well, there were a lot of my films waiting their turn and there was no option but to release them on OTT. However, my last film Shabash Mithu was released in theatres but didn’t do well. But now, I feel good films deserve a good audience in movie theatres.
Dobaaraa is an eerie film. Was it scary shooting it?
The only scary part was, I never knew what Kashyap will change midway through a scene. Apart from that, there was no fear shooting. We had a script that had never been attempted before. We were doing a time-travel theme, and he has made sure nothing has gone wrong.
Dobaaraa seems inspired by Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist?
(Laughs) No, it is not. During the pandemic, people consumed a lot of international content. So they understand time-travel. Had Dobaaraa come before the pandemic, the concept may have been alien to them.
Where would you place Dobaaraa in your body of work? Is it a film that you can proudly show to your unborn children?
Yessss. Yesssss! It is one of those films that I would like to carry with me .
Recently, when you were asked why you have not appeared on Koffee With Karan, you sarcastically said it was because you sex life was not interesting enough. Does it really matter if you are on Karan’s show or not?
I can’t understand how any show can be a benchmark or validation of any sort. In today’s day and age, even awards functions are not a validation of one’s talent. It is Karan and Hotstar’s show. If they want to invite me, they will. If they don’t, that’s fine. It doesn’t take away or add anything to my career. I am doing fine without being on it. It doesn’t harm them if I am not in it. I don’t understand why the show is such a talking=point for those who are invited, why question actors who are not on it? I find it hysterical.
If you had to do one thing Dobaaraa in your life, what would it be?
You are asking this to someone who doesn’t even repeat her holiday destinations. I feel life is too short. I don’t want to do anything twice. I would rather explore something new each time, whether a destination or an emotion. However, if I had a chance to go back in time and tell my younger self, ‘You are going to be an actor one day. A public figure where you will experience the highs of being loved unconditionally by the public and then there will be times when you won’t be allowed to feel human, you can’t show normal human emotions in public like anger annoyance, etc when disrespected,’, I’d be better prepared for my life as a public figure.
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
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