Actress Taapsee Pannu, recently seen in the courtroom drama Assi, spoke about on-set awkwardness, item song culture, and double standards in the Indian film industry. She also reacted to questions about why Bhojpuri and South Indian cinema seem to focus heavily on the navel in song sequences.
Taapsee Pannu On South Cinema's Navel Obsession
During the conversation with Shubhankar Mishra, the actress said, "I am also trying to understand. It’s not that item songs in Hindi cinema don’t focus on it, but it’s not as much as in South Cinema. Hindi cinema is more about cleavage."
Taapsee Pannu Says Actresses Are Often Asked To Wear Padded Bras In South Films
Further, the Pannu said that in South films, actresses are often asked to wear padded bras. She questioned who the director actually communicates with on set regarding such instructions, and described the typical chain of communication, from the director to the assistant director, then to the styling team, followed by the hair and wardrobe team, and finally reaching the actress.
She added, "Aur aap socho kitna embarrassing hoga ke set pe ek gaane ke shoot mein kissko beech mein uthke jana hai, aur sab wahin dekh rahe ke acha kya difference hua. Phir aata hai ke hume difference pata nahi chal raha, toh abhi wapis jaao. Yeh hota hai."
Before entering Bollywood, Taapsee worked as a South Indian actress and appeared in several Telugu and Tamil films. She made her debut with the 2010 Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, where she starred opposite Manoj Manchu.
She was an active South Indian actress before Baby (2015) and Pink (2016) changed the conversation around her in Hindi cinema and established her as a prominent name in Bollywood.
