Taapsee Pannu Calls Out Bollywood’s PR Game: ‘Since When Did Success Mean Someone Else’s Failure?’

Actor Taapsee Pannu has spoken candidly about the changing dynamics of publicity and perception-building in the Hindi film industry, criticising what she described as an aggressive and unhealthy “PR game.” In a recent interaction with Times Now News, the actor questioned the growing trend of manufactured narratives and suggested that success today is increasingly being linked to pulling others down rather than focusing on one’s own work.

‘PR game has gone to some other level’

Reflecting on how she has consciously slowed down over the last couple of years, Taapsee explained that the shift gave her a clearer view of how the industry operates today.

“I was too busy doing my own things. But last 1.5-2 years se I have slowed down things and it has also been a conscious effort. I have realised that this PR game has gone to some other level. You are paying either to, I mean push yourself. Which was one version of doing PR. You are also paying to push someone else down,” she said.

Her remarks point to a growing concern within the industry about negative publicity and planted narratives becoming tools for relevance rather than organic appreciation of work.

‘Since when did your success depend on someone else’s failure?’

Taapsee further questioned the ethics behind such practices and the pressure on actors to project voices and opinions that may not align with their actual work.

“Since when did your success depend upon someone else's failure? People have started creating a new facade of their personalities because they need relevance. I am not okay with just me being there in a hit film, I also need to have a very strong voice even if it is not yours. But you have to create a voice. And that voice that you are trying to create beyond films is not matching with the work you are doing. So that discrepancy. You are saying beyond your films but your work is saying something else,” she added.

The actor also shared that she prefers spending her money on herself and her loved ones rather than “planting articles,” reinforcing her stance against artificial image-building.

Career so far and what’s next

Taapsee Pannu began her acting journey with the Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam in 2010 before making her Hindi debut with Chashme Baddoor in 2012. Over the years, she has built a diverse body of work with films such as Baby, Naam Shabana, Manmarziyaan, Mulk, Badla, Thappad, Rashmi Rocket, Haseen Dillruba, Dobaaraa and Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba.

She was last seen in Mudassar Aziz’s Khel Khel Mein, alongside Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Ammy Virk, Aditya Seal, Pragya Jaiswal and Fardeen Khan. Taapsee will next appear in Gandhari, a revenge drama directed by Devashish Makhija and backed by Kanika Dhillon’s Katha Pictures, which is slated to premiere on Netflix.