Taapsee Pannu on Saand Ki Aankh criticism: ‘I will do one thing, I will stop acting’

Actor Taapsee Pannu has expressed mixed feelings about being criticised for playing an older character in the upcoming film, Saand Ki Aankh. Reacting to statements by actors Soni Razdan, Neena Gupta and Seema Pahwa, Taapsee sarcastically told Deccan Chronicle that perhaps it would be better if she play Delhi girls her age.

She said, “Ek kam karti hoon main acting karna chhod deti hoon (I will do one thing, I will stop acting), and only play characters of my age and girls from Delhi. We are actors, so should we stop acting? As an actor, I will sometimes play characters of different ages. We should stop being camera actors, I think. I know it’s not an easy visual, as these women pick up guns at the age of 60, and the film showcases their story from half of their current ages.”

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Also starring Bhumi Pednekar, Saand Ki Aankh tells the story of two octogenarians, who became champion sharpshooters after the age of 60. The film is directed by Tushar Hiranandani and produced by Anurag Kashyap, and will be released on October 25.

Soni Razdan had told The Quint in an interview, “I love both these actors honestly but I mean why? I get there is something called box office draw but then why make a film on 60-year-olds if you can’t cast the real ones?” Meanwhile, Neena had said, “It’s a business – they have to take who is good for the project. Maybe they (older actors) don’t sell.”

Taapsee said that she wasn’t too bothered by the criticism. She said, “I was pretty happy about being criticized for playing an aged person at this juncture of my film career. Perhaps people have seen me in different young roles, so they are unable to digest it.” The actor added that her primary point of reference for the role was her mother. She said, “While I was hearing the script, my reference point was my mother. I literally cried for 2 hours, as every moment reminded me of my mother. As my reel mother would say: I will not let my girls spend life as I did, and if I have to pick up the gun at 60 to do it, then I will.”

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