Taapsee Pannu reveals male actors reject her over ‘difficult to work with’ rumours

Taapsee Pannu is bold in her films and stays that way in real life, always saying what she thinks. It has led to issues now and then. During a latest talk, she shared if her openness blocks job offers. She confessed in an interview that folks decide against her upfront, costing her chances before they arrive.

Taapsee Pannu hears rumours indirectly

Talking to Hindustan Times, she said, “I honestly didn’t get to know about it firsthand. I might have, but that, you know, it doesn’t come to you. It just gets like, someone is like, ‘No, no, I don’t want to work with her because so and so reason.’ And then, you know, the thing never reached you itself, so you don’t get to know about it. ” Taapsee further added that at times, lead actors do not want to work with her. “What I get to know about, is, only things like, sometimes the hero doesn’t want you to be in the film. I think everybody knows, heroes decide… In a film that has a hero-heroine, most of the times, unless you have a director who is like the biggest star… Because some directors are star directors, and when they say they want someone, they want to take someone.”

Taapsee Pannu’s surprise casting in 'Dunki'

The actress shared her surprise at being cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Dunki’: “So like, for example, when Raju sir wanted me in the film (Dunki), I was in the film. It might just be a big shock for everybody because I’m not in the quintessential circuit of, you know, those kind of films or, or Shah Rukh sir’s regular pair onscreen. So it was a pretty shock, big shock for a lot of people, I feel. But that was because the director was so sure that he wanted me.”

Taapsee Pannu counters the 'difficult' label

Taapsee noted that many directors have cast her multiple times, countering the idea that she's hard to work with. “I sometimes hear that I’m a little too difficult to work with, and I fail to understand that because anyone who opens my filmography can see it that the directors who worked with me have repeated me, and that cannot happen with someone who is difficult to work with. Nobody wants trouble again and again. The people who have not worked with me are the ones who say that because they probably don’t know me, and I’m not a very social person. So I can’t go out there to show up how I really am. So I think I let my work do the talking, which is slightly harder route, but I think I’m saner that way,” she said.

Taapsee Pannu’s latest project: ‘Assi’

On the work front, Taapsee's latest film ‘Assi’ is now playing in theaters. Directed by Anubhav Sinha, it also features Kani Kusruti in a lead role.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”