Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 27, 2017)

Only a week after she was criticised for flaunting her chiselled frame in a bikini while promoting the upcoming comedy, Judwaa 2, alongside Varun Dhawan, and Jacqueline Fernandez, Taapsee Pannu finds herself defending her choices yet again. Moviegoers had objected to the actor’s decision to be part of the David Dhawan-directed project, a recreation of his 1997 film that hinged on frivolous romance, especially since she had catapulted to stardom with her empowering acts in Baby (2015), Pink (2016) and more recently, Naam Shabana.

“From ‘no means no’ to Tan Tana Tan, what happened to Taapsee,” a Twitter user had chided. Unflinching, Pannu responds to the criticism with, “I want to do every role. Pink got me noticed, and people started taking me seriously after it. But, I am also proud of this film. If I keep doing similar roles, I will get bored, and the audience will tire of watching me in the same parts. Life is too short. I want to experiment.”

At a time when viewers are becoming increasingly vigilant about the portrayal of non-consensual intimacy in cinema, a scene in Judwaa 2, which sees Dhawan’s character forcibly kissing Pannu, has irked a section of social media.

The actor, however, defends the sequence, citing that people have become “too sensitive”. “Social media users are now waiting for opportunities to pounce on filmmakers. One can understand if the objection is raised for obscenity. But sometimes, people perceive things inaccurately. The scene portrays a reflex action by a character. If it was done intentionally, it would amount to non-consensual intimacy, which is not the case with our scene.”