Taapsee Pannu Says Alia Bhatt’s Alpha Failure Led To Her Films Being Shelved

Taapsee Pannu has opened up about the impact a failed female-led film can have on other actresses trying to mount projects in Bollywood. In a recent interview with Zoom TV, the actor said the box office failure of Alia Bhatt-led Alpha affected conversations around her own films, with investors becoming hesitant to back women-led projects. Other publications have similarly reported her comments about the wider impact of Alpha's failure on projects featuring female leads.

While promoting Gandhari, Taapsee spoke about what she sees as a clear difference in the expectations placed on big-budget films led by men and women. She questioned why female actors are expected to deliver near-perfect results when male-led films are often given more room to fail.

Taapsee Pannu on different standards for female-led films

Speaking about this issue, Taapsee said, “One thing I've noticed, and people have been asking me this lately, is that when you put money into a film or mount an action film on a female actor, which is not a conventional genre for a woman, people ask, ‘Why doesn't it work?' If you put money into it, make it a big film, and it doesn't work, then how will anyone invest money again? I have only one question. The big, male-driven film that money is invested in, does it always have an impeccable storyline?”

She further said, “If so much money is invested in a female-driven film, there is an expectation that, forget 19 or 20, you have to deliver 21. You cannot go wrong.”

Taapsee Pannu says investors back out after female-led flops

Explaining the effect on her own work, Taapsee said, “All of our leading actresses who want to do films where we lead the story, it impacts all of us. All of our films get shelved. I can tell you from my own experience: if there is a big female-driven flop in a particular year, then the conversations I have with investors change. Investors back out.”

When asked specifically about Alia Bhatt's Alpha, she said, “Yes. Every year it happens. The conversations are like, ‘These days, female-driven films are not working. If such a big superstar's film is not working, then what will happen to the rest? That's why we won't make them now. Women-driven cinema is not popular now.'”

Taapsee also pointed out that the reverse can happen after a successful female-led film, with investors suddenly becoming more willing to explore similar genres.

Her latest film, Gandhari, is currently streaming on Netflix.