Taapsee Pannu described being compared to Jaya Bachchan as a compliment, calling the veteran actor a solid woman and great talent.
Pannu addressed past heated exchanges with paparazzi in Mumbai, stating she never abuses anyone or raises her voice.
The actor asserted that having clear boundaries can intimidate photographers who expect women to be submissive and extra polite.
Taapsee Pannu has called comparisons with Jaya Bachchan a compliment, pushing back against a label that has followed her after past run-ins with paparazzi in Mumbai. Over the years, netizens have often referred to her in comment sections as “Jaya Bachchan-lite”, a nod to Bachchan’s own feisty relationship with photographers.
Taapsee Pannu on comparisons with Jaya Bachchan
In an interview with News18, Pannu said she did not view the comparison negatively. “I think that’s a compliment. I only look at the brighter side. She’s a very good actor and a very solid woman. People are being too kind by comparing me to her. To be honest, I really don’t care. I know that I haven’t ever raised my voice at anybody. That’s not what I do.”
The Assi actor also said she does not abuse anybody and that her boundaries are very clear, adding that “a woman with very clear boundaries is very intimidating.”
“My sense of right and wrong is very clear in front of them and they don’t like that. I’m supposed to be a little more submissive and extra polite. I, in fact, am shouted at by them. I don’t like that.”
Objects to paps screaming
Pannu objected to camera operators screaming her name. “After I grew up, nobody has ever shouted at me apart from my parents. They keep yelling, ‘Taapsee! Taapsee! Taapsee!’. If you’re standing close to me, why do you want to shout? I’ve never used that tone back at them, which I should ideally. Even after that, if they choose to call me angry, they may not know what the definition of the word is,” she said.
“When I’m truly angry, I shut down, go quiet and look through you. I don’t engage with people I’m angry with. I know myself. I’ve been respectful. These taglines that they use are all for clicks. Anybody who can look at the situation sensibly will know that,” she added.
She claimed that paparazzi pages often use her reactions as “clickbait”. “If the caption says that Taapsee was so nice and sweet, nobody will click on it. Nobody would care about that. People will be curious only if the tagline says that Taapsee was angry and that she snapped. This is clickbait and it’s helping them run their pages. I’m helping them get views. I’m glad that I’ve some impact on their lives,” she said.
Jaya Bachchan’s relationship with paps
Jaya Bachchan has voiced similar frustration before. Speaking with Barkha Dutt at Mojo Story’s We The Women event, the veteran actor said, “My relationship with media is fantastic, I am the product of media. But my relationship with paparazzi is zero. Who are these people? Are they trained to be representing the people of this country? You call them media? I come from media, my father was a journalist. I have immense, tremendous respect for such people.”
She added, “But yeh jo bahar gande, tight pant pehnke, hath mein mobile leke (they were cheap tight pants and have a mobile in their hand), they think just because they have a mobile, they can take your picture and say what they want. And, the kind of comments they pass! What kind of people are these people? Kahan se aate hain, kis tarah ka education hai? Kya background hai? They will represent us? Just because they can get through to YouTube or whatever social platform?”
