Taapsee Pannu has built a reputation for choosing unconventional and female-led roles rather than simply following the usual Bollywood formula. From Pink and Mulk to Thappad and Naam Shabana, the actress has repeatedly taken on characters that demand something different from her.

Now, while promoting her upcoming film Gandhari, Taapsee has opened up about why she deliberately turned down several projects that she felt could push her into a predictable image.

Why Taapsee started saying no to certain films

In a recent interview, Taapsee explained that the industry often tends to repeatedly cast actresses in familiar types of roles. She said that there are only a limited number of actresses who are considered for intense or glamorous characters, while another group is repeatedly chosen for socially relevant and hard-hitting stories.

According to Taapsee, this repetition eventually made her question the roles being offered to her. She began rejecting projects when she felt audiences could easily predict the character and the film's ending.

Her approach was essentially: if a role has become too predictable for her, it may be better for the film to cast someone else.

Different roles helped shape her career

Taapsee believes her unconventional career path was partly a result of circumstances. Early in her career, she says she did not have many opportunities to play stereotypical mainstream roles, which pushed her toward different kinds of characters.

Over time, those unconventional choices became an important part of mainstream Hindi cinema as well.

She has appeared in films including:

• Pink
• Baby
• Naam Shabana
• Mulk
• Thappad

These projects helped establish her as an actress willing to experiment rather than repeatedly play the same kind of character.

What is Taapsee's next film, Gandhari, about?

Taapsee is now preparing for the release of Gandhari, directed by Devashish Makhija and produced by Kanika Dhillon.

In the film, Taapsee plays a blind mother who is raising her children while dealing with extremely difficult circumstances. The story also explores how far a mother can go when her child is taken away from her.

The film is scheduled to arrive in theatres on September 3, 2026.

With Gandhari, Taapsee appears to be continuing her preference for emotionally demanding and unconventional roles rather than choosing projects simply because they fit an established image.