The actress dismisses reports of a ‘cold war’ with Jacqueline Fernandez
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 3, 2017)

Taapsee Pannu’s 30th birthday on August 1 heralded a new chapter in her life when she was handed over the keys to her new apartment in Andheri. The Delhi girl plans to move in with sister Shagun soon. “It’s a three-and-half BHK, 10 minutes away from my previous place. I’m hoping to celebrate Diwali in my new home. I own an apartment in Delhi but that was purely for investment. I had planned that before I turn 30, I should have my own apartment, car, a sorted career and no loans. It wouldn’t have felt like a gift to myself if it had come a day before or after my birthday,” the actress smiles.

She admits she has wanted her own place since she first set foot in Maximum City but suffered from a Delhi hangover when she set out to find an apartment that would be a perfect fit. “I always crib about space and wanted something that was reminiscent of Delhi houses — someplace where I can go for walks. I also wanted a balcony with a view,” she informs, proud that she achieved the impossible without the help of real estate brokers.

Now, she has busied herself with decorating her pad. “I picked up some lights from Koh Samui during my holiday in April. We are going to have a contractor help us execute our plan for the interiors. My sister is taking care of everything because I will be running around for movie promotions,” she says.

The decorating will be followed by a month-long housewarming as she has a large extended family. “I don’t want to call everyone at the same time as I won’t be able to host them properly,” Taapsee reasons.

The actress has just returned from the last schedule of David Dhawan’s Judwaa 2 in Mauritius with co-stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Varun Dhawan. “Mauritius was the perfect place for a wrap as some portions of the original Judwaa were also shot there. We figured going back would work like a lucky charm for us. We had gettogethers everyday after pack-up. I love beaches and we were singing and dancing, in perennial party mode,” says the actor.

She harks back to the time the trio shot with the original Judwaa, Salman Khan, who has a guest spot in the sequel. “I was probably the only one who had never worked with him before so I was unusually quiet on the set that day. I just listened to everyone and observed what was happening,”she reminisces.

Speaking of on-set shenanigans, the film has been dogged by reports of a cold war between Jacqueline and her. Refuting them she says,“The rumours surfaced when we were yet to shoot together — not many of our scenes overlap. During the last schedules, we put all that talk to rest. I admire Jackie’s energy, she has a positive vibe, and I learnt how to smile through everything from her.”

Next up is Anubhav Sinha’s social thriller, Mulk, with Rishi Kapoor and Prateik Babbar. She promises the film will make people think as it is inspired by real events.

Does she feel like a star yet? “I don’t feel the need to behave like one, I still think I’m a struggler and I tell everyone that. I will always struggle to make sure that every film I do works and won’t ever feel that I have arrived. I’ll never switch on the autopilot mode,” she asserts.

While she’s often quoted as saying that films happened to her by sheer coincidence, Taapsee admits that it has actually been a carefully charted out journey for her. “For the first couples of years people thought that I wasn’t signing films. In the last one year, the questions have changed from ‘Do you feel you’ve got your due?’ to ‘Don’t you think things are going too fast?’ It doesn’t happen overnight, it has been a well-planned mix of highoctane commercial stuff and substantial fare that helps me build my individuality and my audience,”she says.