Taapsee Pannu’s film production venture, “Dhak Dhak,” was released in theaters on Friday. The film, which showcases the journeys of four women on a daring motorcycle adventure through the challenging terrain of Leh, stars Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanjana Sanghi in lead roles. Despite having a special screening on Wednesday, Pannu was absent from the event. In a recent interview with ETimes, Pannu expressed her dissatisfaction with the Bollywood culture that heavily favors star power.
Pannu stated, “I truly believe in a good subject as an actor and producer. ‘Dhak Dhak’ is an interesting story, and we’ve put in our best efforts to make it visually and emotionally engaging. Unfortunately, the entire system still revolves around the stars, including OTT platforms, and everyone simply passes the buck.” The film’s trailer was released only four days before its release, and Pannu revealed comments she had heard such as “this film is female-oriented, it will only attract a niche audience, there won’t be many screenings, it will eventually come out on OTT, so why stress?” While acknowledging that other films have had late trailer releases, Pannu emphasized that her film “is not youthful” and that smaller films require a certain push. She believes these films should be given a fair chance to be seen and for audiences to accept or reject them.
Directed by Tarun Dudeja, “Dhak Dhak” has faced challenges in terms of limited promotion and fewer screenings. Pannu expressed her concerns about the film being overlooked due to these factors, stating, “I have a first-time director, Tarun Dudeja, leading this film, with talented actors who have given their all. They even learned how to ride a bike for it. If there’s no buzz surrounding the film, limited promotions, and only one or two screenings at odd timings, it’s bound to go unnoticed. People will quickly label it as a flop. Once a film has that reputation, will people even bother watching it on OTT platforms? Isn’t this frustrating?”
Although OTT platforms are believed to have brought some balance to the industry by providing opportunities to actors of various calibers, Pannu dismissed this notion. She revealed feeling “shattered” when she narrated the first line of her story, as people were quick to ask about the actors involved in the project. Pannu expressed her disappointment with the hypocrisy in the industry, stating, “This myth I had about people believing in ‘content is king’ was shattered while making this film. There’s so much hypocrisy. They will hear your one-line story and immediately ask, ‘Who’s the actor in the film?’ This determines their financial and emotional investment in the project. As an actor, I never asked about my co-star or the prominence of the filmmakers when signing a movie. I have worked with numerous first-time directors and co-stars who were newcomers, but others don’t see it that way.”
Apart from “Dhak Dhak,” Pannu has appeared in Vinil Mathew’s “Haseen Dillruba” alongside Vikrant Massey and “Shabaash Mithu,” which is based on the life of Mithali Raj. She is also set to star in Rajkumar Hirani’s “Dunki,” alongside Shah Rukh Khan. Pannu made her debut as a producer with the film “Blurr,” in which she also acted alongside Gulshan Devaiah.