This September is an important month in Taapsee Pannu's life. Pink, her film with Amitabh Bachchan in which she plays a molestation survivor, releases this week. And a day after that, she will begin shooting for the prequel to Baby, in which she plays the protagonist. With several offers pouring in, she is probably in one of the best phases of her career. In a chat with Bombay Times, the actress reveals why her character in this Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury directorial is close to her heart and also shares her take on women's emancipation.

We hear you were the first choice to play Minal Arora in Pink.
I believe so, too. I got a call from the production house and the makers asked me to hear the content of the film and then decide if I wanted to do it or not. When I learnt what the subject was, I was hooked because this is an issue that needs to be highlighted. I couldn't quite see anyone else doing the role. When I first signed on for the film, I didn't know Mr Bachchan was part of the cast. So his news came as an icing on the cake.

What about the film impressed you?
First, it was based out of my home city, Delhi. Second, I got to portray someone who is me. Being themselves on screen is probably one of the easiest things for any actor to do. And the theme of the film (crime against women and women's emancipation) is something that I've always been vocal about. This is probably my way of showing my concern and voicing out my perception to the society.

Did you require any special preparation to play this character?
The entire set-up felt so real that I didn't feel I was shooting for a film. In fact, my dialogues were written after asking how I would react to a situation. But the real challenge was while filming the molestation incident and the court room scenes. I've faced eve-teasing and have been subjected to catcalls, but nothing to the degree that my character goes through in the film. So, I went through many videos that the team had procured for us. I watched how people react in court, what kind of questions are usually asked and tried to understand their psyche.

How was it sharing the screen space with Amitabh Bachchan?
He is a thorough professional and it was a wonderful experience working with him. I still remember the day we shot the final courtroom scene and we did the entire scene in one take. I don't rehearse because I save all my energy for the shoot and I was quite anxious that day. But the scene, which was shot with six cameras, was okayed in one take. Everyone stood up and clapped, but the best part was when Mr Bachchan hugged and congratulated me. That was an out-of-the-world feeling for me. He also gifted me a hairspray of his that I'd earlier told him I liked. Such small gestures make for memorable moments.

Given that the shooting must have been an emotionally draining experience, did you have any fun on the set?
(Laughs) Yes, though we were breaking down on sets, Kirti (Kulhari), Andrea (Tariang) and I had good fun hanging out during whatever little time we had in between shoots. We shot for 33 days in over two months and made use of all the free time we would get. With Delhi being my hometown, I was more like their guide. We would have lunch together and spent most our time shopping and indulging in sight-seeing.

With crime against women on the rise, what do you think is the need of the hour?
The Nirbhaya incident shook the country, but such incidents have happened even before, but they never came to light. I strongly believe that women should not brush such incidents - be it eve-teasing or harassment - under the carpet. They should feel strong enough to use their muscle power when the need arises. They need to stand up for themselves and fight until they get justice. But most importantly, parents must educate their kids so that such crimes are not even an issue in the future. With this film, we've tried to portray reality. It's up to the public to decide what's right and what's not. If there is a change in the mindset after watching the movie, it's our biggest victory.

Though you'd debuted in Bollywood three years ago, you haven't done many films here...
Yes, I had to slow down because I was working in three industries (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi) and it was a task to wrap up all the projects. But I had one release in a year on an average here and I had to choose my projects wisely. There were many offers, but I had to do quality control because I had to justify the Rs 300 that people were paying to watch me. I don't have the luxury of making mistakes. But now, I'm happy that I have an interesting line-up in Bollywood as well. The makers of Baby told me after the film released, that they were making a prequel with me, but it was too good to be true then. I will probably believe it's happening only after the first day of the shoot. I think I'm lucky to work with big names and tackle such subjects too early in my career.