Hero has no gender: Taapsee Pannu

Agencies
July 24, 2019

Mumbai, Jul 24: In an industry where a male actor is called a hero, Taapsee Pannu says her aim is to break this gender-based stereotype and she plans to do so slowly and steadily.

The 31-year-old actor believes the acceptance for female-centric films from both the industry and audience can help bridge the gap between male and female actors being successful at the box office.

"I feel hero has no gender and I am trying to prove that. We have for so many years fed our audience that hero is a gender-based term and they have also accepted that.

"Now the change can not come overnight, it will be slow and steady. It requires a lot of perseverance from the side of all-female actors who are trying to bring the change," Taapsee said.

Citing the example of her last release "Game Over", she said the home invasion thriller did not make it to the Rs 100 crore club and it is a fact she accepts.

"I am expecting and hoping that it will become a commercially successful film so that other people will take a risk in the future," she added.

Taapsee's last two releases "Badla" (over Rs 100 crore in India) and "Game Over" (Rs 11 crore in India) were fronted by a woman protagonist and the actor believes there is an audience for female-driven cinema today.

"We are in the transition phase. All kinds of good films in this space are being accepted. Like 'Game Over' was a dark film, it did not have a regular entertainment quotient like a song or a comedy scene or anything. It is not visually that easily an attractive film but it got a good response. Such films require a certain kind of trust from the audience."

There is a perception that usually mainstream potboilers with A-listers tend to be a crowd-puller to the theatres but the actor believes it isn't necessary to choose films that are only commercial.

"I am not giving up easily and not succumbing to this pressure that I have to do a certain kind of films to make sure I am saleable. I am ready to push the boundary slowly and steadily as in every way possible.

"But I can't change my choice because it doesn't fall into the conventional formula. I am ok to have my own audience but an audience that believes in my choice of films."

Taapsee's other two releases this year are "Mission Mangal" and "Saand Ki Aankh". The actor is also working on a Tamil action thriller.

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News Network
January 2,2020

Jan 2: A young filmmaker was allegedly assaulted by an acquaintance during an argument over CAA-NRC in neighbouring Salt Lake City, police said on Wednesday.

The police have arrested the accused following a complaint by the filmmaker.

According to a senior police officer, the argument over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) began following a social media post by the filmmaker.

The accused allegedly went to the house of the filmmaker on Monday night and picked up an argument, which led to a scuffle.

"During the scuffle, the accused attacked the filmmaker with a knife," the senior police officer said, adding that the accused has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

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News Network
February 24,2020

New Delhi, Feb 24: Indian Idol 11 winner is Bhatinda's Sunny Hindustani. Sunny, who mostly sang Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's songs on the show, won the coveted trophy. The Bhatinda boy took home the Indian Idol 11 trophy along with the prize money of Rs 25 lakh, a car and a singing contract with T-Series.

Sunny's entry on the show was much-talked-about. His soul-soothing voice had mesmerised the judges on the audition day itself as he sang Afreen Afreen. He got a standing ovation and former Indian Idol 11 judge Anu Malik even said that he felt as if Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan himself was performing on the Indian Idol stage. His audition video had gone viral after Anand Mahindra shared it on social media.

On the finale night, Sunny sang a medley of songs, which included Mere Rashke Qamar and Halka Halka Suroor. Ayushmann got emotional seeing Sunny's journey on screen. He said, "Hum na actor bade self-obsessed hote hain. Humein lagta hai hamari struggle sabse achchi hai, sabse badi hai. Inke saamne toh kuch hai he nahi. Jahaan se aye hai, jitna hunar inke paas hai...mujhe lagta hai inki maa sabse ameer hain."

The first and second runner-up of the show Rohit Raut and Ankona Mukherjee got Rs 5 lakh each, while Ridham Kalyan and Adriz Ghosh who were fourth and fifth on the show, took Rs 3 lakh home. Every finalist also received Rs 1 lakh cheque from Lotus Herbals and gift hampers from the sponsors.

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News Network
June 9,2020

Mumbai, Jun 9: Actor Sonu Sood, who has been arranging transport for migrant workers stranded in Mumbai and has faced criticism from the Shiv Sena for "enacting a political script written by BJP", was stopped outside the Bandra Terminus in Mumbai by police from meeting labourers.

A Mumbai Police official said the actor was stopped by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) when he reached the station on Monday night to meet some labourers, and added that they have not received any complaint so far in this connection.

The migrant labourers were supposed to take the Shramik Special train from Bandra Terminus to Uttar Pradesh.

Mumbai's Nirmal Nagar police station's senior inspector Shashikant Bhandare told news agency PTI that "The actor was stopped by the RPF, not by us. He wanted to meet labourers who were going to their native place. We have not received any complaint regarding this till now."

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday wondered whether the BJP propped up Sonu Sood to "offer help" to migrant workers from north India stranded in Maharashtra amidst the lockdown, with the political motive to show the Uddhav Thackeray government in poor light.

In his weekly column 'Rokhthok' in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', Sanjay Raut questioned the sudden rise of "Mahatma" Sood on the social scene of Maharashtra during the lockdown.

Mr Raut also referred to an alleged "sting operation" against Sonu Sood ahead of the 2019 general elections, saying he had agreed to promote the BJP-led government at various platforms through his official social media accounts.

However, later that day Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray lauded Sonu Sood's initiative to arrange buses for stranded migrant workers.

The actor met Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra on Sunday night.

On Monday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh backed Sonu Sood for his work for stranded migrant workers, and questioned the Maharashtra government's criticism of the actor.

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