Taapsee Pannu has indeed been vocal about the challenges she faces as an actress, especially regarding remuneration in male-dominated films. Her comments about Dunki, in which she starred alongside Shah Rukh Khan and under the direction of Rajkumar Hirani, highlight a common issue in the industry—often, leading female actors in big-banner films don’t receive pay parity compared to their male counterparts or even as much as they do in smaller, female-driven projects.
Taapsee Pannu on being paid less for Dunki
In her interview with SCREEN, Taapsee clarified that contrary to popular belief, she isn't paid a large sum for roles in blockbuster movies with established male leads, like Dunki. She said, "Funnily, people think I do films like Judwaa or Dunki for money, that I get paid a lot. But no, it is the opposite– I get paid to do more for films that are headlined by me, like a Haseen Dilruba, and other films don’t really pay me much because they feel they are doing a favour by taking me up in that kind of a film. They feel, ‘There is already a big hero, why do we need anybody else for that?’ I fight these notions on a daily basis."
Taapsee Pannu recently shed light on the realities of Bollywood’s casting decisions, saying, “Now even the audience knows that heroes decide who the heroine is going to be in most of their films, until you have a very big, super successful director, who has his or her own audience. Then the director will take a call no matter what."
About Dunki
'Dunki', directed by Rajkumar Hirani, explores the emotional journey of friends aiming to move abroad. It follows the group’s adventurous and challenging experience through an unconventional route known as the "Donkey Flight." Besides Shah Rukh Khan, the film also features Vicky Kaushal in significant roles and has earned over ₹300 crore at the Indian box office.
Taapsee Pannu's work front
Looking ahead, Taapsee will appear in 'Gandhari', a Netflix project for which the platform recently released a teaser. The story appears to center on a mother taking extreme measures to protect her children.
Announcing the film, Netflix shared, “The Hasseen writer-actor duo is back. Kanika Dhillon and Taapsee Pannu return with an action thriller. Gandhari arrives soon, only on Netflix. #GandhariOnNetflix @kanika.d @taapsee @kathhapictures." The release date for 'Gandhari' is yet to be revealed.