Taapsee Pannu’s recent comments on the kind of mainstream films being made in Hindi cinema have sparked a debate online, with several social media users speculating that the actor was taking a swipe at Yash and Kiara Advani-starrer Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups. Taapsee did not name the film or any actor during the conversation, but her remarks about some of the recent releases have led to the speculation.
Speaking to Suchin Mehrotra, Taapsee reflected on the timing of her entry into the film industry and said she feels fortunate that her career began when mainstream Hindi cinema offered a wider variety of stories and characters. She suggested that the current landscape, where certain kinds of films appear to dominate, could have made it difficult for an actor like her to establish a career.
The Gandhari actor recalled discussing some of the films released in recent months with her family and questioning whether she would want to continue acting if those were the kinds of projects available to her. “I thought whether it is my time to retire,” she said.
Taapsee clarified that she understands there is an audience for such films, but said that commercial success or popularity alone would not convince her to take up a project she does not connect with. She added that although she loves acting, she does not want to pursue the profession “blindly” by appearing in films that do not align with her choices.
The actor also spoke about the importance of building a body of work that remains meaningful even after trends and genres change. According to Taapsee, while the kind of cinema audiences prefer may evolve over the years, an actor’s filmography remains a permanent record of the choices they made.
Her comments have since triggered reactions online, particularly among users who interpreted them as a reference to Toxic, which released last week. One user argued that Taapsee had already done the kind of commercial films she appeared to be criticising and told her that Kiara Advani has a strong career ahead of her.
Another social media user brought up Taapsee’s Netflix film Haseen Dillruba, sarcastically contrasting her comments with her own previous choices. A third user suggested that if Taapsee genuinely feels this way about current mainstream cinema, she should follow through on her suggestion of retiring. None of these reactions establish that Toxic was the film Taapsee was referring to.
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups stars Yash and Kiara Advani alongside Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Tara Sutaria and Rukmini Vasanth. The film, produced by KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations, was made in Kannada and English and released in dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
