Taapsee Pannu says audience must help battle objectification in cinema

Actor Taapsee Pannu said audiences must help fight the objectification of women in cinema. She believes the industry often uses a “demand and supply” argument to justify such portrayals, while the audience’s own behaviour on social media shows why the cycle continues.In an interview with Zoom TV, Taapsee said the issue cannot be addressed by actors and filmmakers alone. She pointed to the way images of women are consumed and circulated online, saying that even when people raise their voices against a particular portrayal, there are others who pick up the same pictures, zoom in on them or use “weird angles” in videos and images to make them viral.“So, there is an audience for that on social media,” she said.Taapsee said the industry often responds to criticism by arguing that it is simply giving viewers what they want. “People think ki janta maang rahi hai toh humko dena chahiye (People think if the audience wants this, we should deliver), how else will we earn money?” she said. She added that this mindset comes at the cost of filmmaking itself. “So art takes a back seat; craft takes a back seat,” Taapsee said.The actor also reflected on the changes she saw in Indian cinema before the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the industry had made significant progress and was “catching up with the best”, but felt that it was “again slacking”. According to Taapsee, filmmakers eventually put the responsibility on the audience, leaving actors without a strong response to the argument. “And all the makers will blame the audience, and that's where we all actors fail to give a comeback,” she said.She believes the audience therefore has to be part of the change. “That's a battle we will lose, and only the audience has to help us win it,” she said.Taapsee's comments came amid criticism over the portrayal of women in recent mainstream films, including Ram Charan's Peddi and Yash's Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups.Janhvi Kapoor's character in Peddi faced criticism on social media, with viewers objecting to what they described as hypersexualisation. The camera work, romantic scenes and focus on her physical appearance became part of the backlash. The criticised portions were later removed, and director Buchi Babu Sana apologised.Toxic, meanwhile, faced questions over its portrayal of women even before its release. After the film reached theatres, the criticism grew, with some viewers accusing the makers of presenting female characters largely through glamour, sensuality and their connection to the male protagonist.Taapsee's remarks add to the wider debate around representation in mainstream cinema, but also shift some of the focus towards audiences and the content they choose to engage with, share and amplify.On the work front, Taapsee was recently seen in Netflix's Gandhari. Directed by Devashish Makhija, the action thriller also stars Ishwak Singh, Chhaya Kadam, Swastika Mukherjee and Mita Vashisht, and is streaming on Netflix.- EndsPublished On: Sep 5, 2026 16:17 IST