Taapsee Pannu
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; June 28, 2017)

In an interview to a cinema portal last year, Taapsee Pannu had suggested that acting is just “one of the things” she has to do in this life. “I can’t invest my entire life in this,” she had said. Given that the Pink (2016) actress is a software engineer, who has also been a wedding planner for a while, this assertion seems fitting. It comes as no surprise then that Taapsee is set to experiment with another art — comedy.

The 30-year-old is now trying her hand at stand-up comedy. She has collaborated with EIC [East India Comedy], a group of Indian stand-up comedians, for a series called EIC Vs Bollywood. The show will host a gamut of Bollywood celebrities. Given that Taapsee doesn’t come from a filmy background, she chose the topic, Outsiders in Bollywood.

Taapsee says, “We touched on subjects close to me. They were a part of my personal and professional life, and presented themselves in a humorous. It is nice to see that people have started noticing my goofy side. It’s unlike how I’ve been seen in my last few films. I love the idea of laughing at myself and am excited to see the audience reaction.”

The lack of censorship on YouTube gives Indian comics creative freedom, and Taapsee believes that is what people enjoy. “We have really talented people here."

(From left) Sahil Shah, Azeem Banatwalla, Kunal Rao, Sorabh Pant, Atul Khatri and Sapan Verma
(From left) Sahil Shah, Azeem Banatwalla, Kunal Rao, Sorabh Pant, Atul Khatri and Sapan Verma