Taapsee Pannu didn’t have a career trajectory charted out when she started her journey in the Hindi film industry 10 years ago with Chashme Baddoor (2013). The actor, who was told by many that a career in Bollywood is usually “short-lived”, explains, “There are many examples of people who couldn’t last for a long time. So, I always thought, ‘Okay, I am just going to be around for a couple of years’.”

Pannu, who had worked in a few Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies before venturing into Bollywood, says she wanted to stand out. “During my stint in the South, I realized that I was dispensable. I began to feel that I needed to have something more besides just having a female presence in films. I wanted the audience to believe that I wouldn’t waste their money and time. My only goal was to become someone who is not easily replaceable,” says the 35-year-old.

Cut to 2023, Pannu says she feels satisfied as an artiste. “Barring all the misses that I learnt from, I do have a credible career graph to be proud of. In fact, that’s the only thing that has encouraged me to move forward. I feel satisfied,” she shares.

The Dobaaraa (2022) actor admits that she wanted to create a unique identity with her work and her self-critical attitude helped her achieve that. “A lot of people (actors) don’t have a recall value. But I have been lucky to get back-to-back good opportunities that helped me create a unique identity,” says Pannu.

She adds, “Today, no matter how big or small my audience pool is, I am glad they know me because of the kind of work I have done. I am glad that I have a recall value because of it. I have been able to build an identity in over 10 years, which, I feel, is my biggest achievement in this industry.”