Taapsee Pannu opens up on the focus on female bodies in Indian cinema

Actress Taapsee Pannu has once again made headlines for her statements about the representation of women in various Indian film industries. While promoting her latest venture, Assi, Taapsee Pannu spoke about the particular aesthetic requirements that female actors are subjected to, which create a clear stylistic difference between regional cinema and Bollywood.

In a recent episode of Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Taapsee Pannu spoke about the industry’s obsession with particular body parts during song and dance numbers. "Hindi cinema is more about cleavage, South cinema is about the navel," she said, wondering why such trends continue. Taapsee revealed that such aesthetic requirements result in awkward requests on set, such as being asked to wear bras with padding to enhance her looks in the film.

Taapsee explained the awkwardness of the communication chain on the sets when such demands are made. Normally, the director gives the message to his assistant, and then it reaches the styling or hair team before it finally reaches the actor. "Imagine how embarrassing it would be," Taapsee said, pointing out how the whole team gets to know about the change in her dressing in the middle of the shoot.

A history of bluntness

This is not the first instance of Pannu criticising the sensuality of the industry. She had previously received both support and backlash for remembering an incident from her Telugu debut in 2010, Jhummandi Naadam. She spoke of a scene where a coconut was hurled at her belly—a hallmark of veteran director K Raghavendra Rao—and how she could not understand the "sensuous" part of the experience herself.

Although her bluntness has been appreciated by those who support a more progressive film set, some believe Taapsee is generalising the South Indian film industry. With a successful career in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi films, her voice is still an important addition to the conversation about gender and professional integrity in the entertainment industry.

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