Taapsee Pannu: Wanted the power to take my own calls

After testing her theories with Rashmi Rocket, Taapsee Pannu discusses her journey of turning producer with Blurr

One must credit Taapsee Pannu for taking the term ‘outsider’ used to refer to actors who have no Godfathers in the industry and turning it on its head. First with her film choices and now with the launch of her production house—Outsider Films. “For someone who didn’t want to be an actor, I found it unthinkable to become a producer,” starts off Pannu.

Pranjal Khandhdiya

Not one to confine herself to one role alone, she says, “I have learnt on the job, so I was always aware of how everything is being done. I understood how a one-line idea is fleshed into a full-fledged script and thereon a movie. However, it would feel intrusive to suggest who should be hired for which job or how to package a film. It’s beyond the scope of my job as an actor. That’s when I thought of becoming a producer, so that I could have the power to take my own calls.” As she wields the baton of a producer, Pannu is sure of steering clear of the director’s chair. “I don’t think I have that bent of mind to handle something that complex.”

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The groundwork began on the set of Rashmi Rocket, which is being produced by Ronnie Screwvala, Neha Anand, and Pranjal Khandhdiya. “I knew Pranjal from Soorma [2018]. He wanted me to partner with him, but I didn’t want to divide my energy on set. I heard the storyline [of Rashmi Rocket] in Chennai in 2018. We got screenwriters, dialogue writers, directors, the studio and took it from there. Every step in the film prepared us for the kind of hurdles we would face [with our production house],” explained the actor, adding that they finished the project with some money to spare from the assigned budget despite rescheduling due to COVID-19 and the floods. Right before Rashmi Rocket wrapped up, Blurr came along. Emboldened by how they pulled off the former, she decided to make it her production debut. Pannu’s brand of films stands for female-fronted stories that get the audience thinking about the lack of gender equilibrium in society. “People tell me I am stereotyped, but I find myself fortunate that I am recognised for a certain kind of story. Outsider Films continues this vision,” she concludes.

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