Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 2, 2019)

Actor Taapsee Pannu has had quite a happy year at the box office with four releases that have earned her wide critical and commercial acclaim. But Taapsee, who started her Hindi film career with Chashme Baddoor (2013), believes that she cannot be called a star yet.

So does she believe that stardom is a myth? “No,” she says, adding, “For a lot of us, stardom is a delusion than a myth. I would define stardom as when people would go out of their way to see me.”

The Badla actor, who is quite active on social media feels that social media has also played an instrumental role in changing the definition of a star in the age of the internet. “Today, everything is available online, and every bit of information is available at a single click. You’re readily available for them (the audience) because they can watch your web shows and movies online whenever they want to,” says the 32-year-old.

She says she will consider herself a star, if despite entertainment being available so easily, her name alone pulls people to theatres. She explains, “In this day and age, if they wait for you to come on the big screen, and they make the effort of driving all the way to the theatre, and then buying an expensive ticket, and giving you undivided attention while watching your film, only then you’re a star. That way, you’re not only getting the audience’s money but also their precious time. If that happens with an actor, then they should consider themselves to be stars.”

And just because the actor is quite active on social media, where she interacts with fans and detractors regularly, a lot of visibility is not what she is looking for. Therefore, she’d rather slip out of sight than get papped at airports. In her signature candour, she says, “Visibility at the right place is important. You won’t see much of my airport and gym looks. At the airport, I end up sneaking away... I’m not interested in looking good when I’m coming out of the gym either. I look dishevelled and that’s completely fine (laughs).”