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Taapsee Pannu says she was told not to date and to act opposite ‘big stars’ early in her career: ‘You are only a desirable heroine…’

Actor Taapsee Pannu recently recalled getting adviced by senior people in the industry to act opposite big male stars, no matter what their age is. She was also told that heroines have a 5-6 year shelf life.

2 min readNew DelhiJan 12, 2026 05:57 PM IST

Taapsee Pannu recalls getting senior industry people's advices in the early days of her career

Taapsee Pannu recalls early-career advice from senior industry figures.

Actor Taapsee Pannu never shies away from speaking her mind, even when it comes to exposing the harsh realities of the Bollywood industry. In a recent interview, she opened up about the early days of her acting career and the advice she received from ‘senior’ and ‘more experienced’ members of the film fraternity.

During a conversation with Zoom, Taapsee was asked if she believed everything she was told in the beginning of her film career. “I believed everything. I had no reason to not believe them. They were all senior people, more experienced people telling me that heroines have a shelf life of 5-6 years. You only have to act opposite big stars, no matter how older they are than you. To be the A-lister, you have to just act opposite big A-lister heroes. It doesn’t matter what your role is.”

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The actor added that she was even asked to not engage in any romantic relationships to retain desirability. “Of course, I was told to not have any affairs or any relationships while becoming a heroine. Because once you start dating someone, people will not look at you in the same aspirational light. You are only a desirable heroine if they feel you are single and available. They also told don’t do any negative roles, grey shade character, because you become a vamp.”

However, Taapsee listened to her heart after a few years and stopped walking on the same path as others. “And once that happens, you can never be the leading actress of a film. All these things were told. I believed it, until I didn’t. It’s only very recent that we have started learning every size can look glamorous, there’s no formula, but that’s not what we were told back then,” she said.

On the professional front, Taapsee Pannu was last seen in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, which premiered on Netflix in 2024. The actor has two projects in her kitty – including the revenge drama Gandhari, set to release on Netflix this year, and Haseen Dillruba 3.

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