Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; October 22, 2025)

For Taapsee Pannu, Diwali’s symbolic meaning has grown stronger for her. “Diwali has always been an example given to us from childhood that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. That there will be a day where eventually good will triumph over evil. So, whenever Diwali comes around, it feels like you are getting closer to the end of the tunnel.”

The actress draws parallel to the struggles the industry goes through while making female-centric films. She says, “I think of all the hurdles that we have to go through while making films which are driven by a female-oriented narrative and are difficult to pull through to see success at box office. Festivals have always rekindled that spirit in us. I think I have no other option than to keep that spirit close to my heart and keep moving ahead with it.”

Diwali in India and Christmas in Denmark for Taapsee & Mathias
Talking about Diwali celebrations with her husband, Danish badminton player Mathias Boe, Taapsee shared, “In the last few years, Mathias and I have made a deliberate effort to celebrate Diwali in India and Christmas in Denmark. Mathias has been here during Diwali, and we go there for Christmas,” she says.

Talking about her Diwali memories, she says, “As kids, my sister Shagun and I would paint diyas, make rangolis, light diyas in the evening, and have a good meal with our extended family. That’s the ritual I associate most with Diwali.”

As children Taapsee and Shagun enjoyed bursting crackers, but one Diwali changed everything for them. “As children, we loved crackers. My father never supported the idea — he’d call it a waste of money and bad for the environment. For a few years, we didn’t listen to him. Until one year, the smoke inside our Delhi apartment became so thick that we couldn’t see clearly. It scared me — I felt like the house was filled with gas. After that, we stopped bursting crackers altogether.”

‘My sister and I would compete over who painted the best diya or made the best rangoli’
The sisters had their own brand of competition. “We never competed over outfits. Our thing was — who painted the best diya or made the best rangoli! That was our Diwali rivalry,” she says, adding, “Now we don’t paint diyas but decorate with different kinds of things, make rangolis, do a little ardas in the evening, and have dinner with as many family members as we can gather in Mumbai or Delhi.”

Talking about how she likes to dress up for the festival, she shares, “Indian festivals are all about colour, but Diwali brings out the shine and glamour. It’s probably the only time of the year I’d pick a red, sparkly outfit without overthinking.”
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Natasha Coutinho (HINDUSTAN TIMES; October 23, 2025)

Actor Taapsee Pannu, who splits her time between Mumbai and Denmark after marrying Danish badminton player Mathias Boe, is currently finishing the interiors of their vintage home. She says, “There’s a lot of history involved and we wanted to restore as much as possible. There’s vintage furniture that’s been there for decades, which I did not want to get rid of. We requested the previous owners to let us keep it. Labour is extremely expensive in Denmark, and transportation and storing things in warehouses cost and bomb, so people prefer selling their stuff. We were lucky to inherit all the vintage lamps, furniture, paintings and chandeliers, it goes with the vintage theme of the house, classic Danish designs.”

Speaking about their taste in interiors and how the couple designed their home, Taapsee shares, “Mathias and I have some common tastes, but in some matters we agree to disagree. He’s left most of the interiors to me and his parents, who were also kind enough to let me decide. However, I discuss with everybody before taking any decision.”

Taapsee mentions that Mathias’ father, a former architect, has also been helping out. She adds, “What is strange for Danes but normal for us Indians is that Mathias’s parents live with us. They have their own space on the ground floor. It’s the most Indian thing I brought into the house, and it took us a while to convince them because it’s not so common to live with grown-up kids in Danish culture. Since we keep travelling, we wanted someone to come home to, and it truly feels like home.”

While Taapsee calls Denmark “poster perfect,” she admits that the language barrier has posed a challenge: “I didn’t feel the need to learn the language until the past few years, when we bought the house and had to interact with locals. I thought it’s a good idea to know Danish. I can understand and construct basic sentences now.”

Sharing her love for both Denmark and India, the actor says, “In Denmark, the air feels so good and so does the water. There’s a certain dopamine in the air; it gives you a high. I look forward to turning my life upside down when there. You need to do everything yourself; cooking, cleaning, buying groceries, et al. We cycle at 6 a.m. to get groceries! Whereas in India, it’s easy to get support for the smallest of needs.”

The actor reveals that whenever she’s back in India, all she craves is desi food. “I enjoy food in Denmark, but in India, my menu from morning to night is desi food. I try to have Indian meals throughout the day, from a breakfast of chila and upma to simple khichdis. I especially love the festive period here, with dance and music constantly playing in the background. I enjoy putting up diyas and drawing rangoli, something I’ve been doing since my childhood. These rituals may not have tangible significance, but they make me feel at home,” she reflects.

Taapsee Pannu on her Denmark home: There’s a lot of history involved