The 2016 film ‘Pink’ opened up an important discourse around consent and how one should not assume it. The legal thriller starred Amitabh Bachchan as a lawyer who represents the case of three women, played by Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, and Andrea Tariang. The film pivoted the career of Taapsee Pannu, emerging as a big breakthrough for her. Recently, Kirti opened up about the side-lining during the film’s promotions. She revealed having a meltdown after the film became a Taapsee Pannu movie due to PR. Now, Taapsee has finally addressed the claims.
Speaking with ETimes, Taapsee Pannu addressed Kirti Kulhari’s claims about not receiving the same treatment during ‘Pink’ promotions. The ‘Thappad’ actress said, “How would I know? She has the full right to feel the way she does. I would be the last person to tell someone what you are feeling is wrong. If someone has felt a certain way, I’m sure there’s a reason.”
“That person voiced whatever they did. Had I known that she felt sidelined in any way, I would have liked to speak to her at that point and ask if there was something I could do to make it better. Unfortunately, I did not know there was an issue at that point. So, I don’t know what to do with it. I can’t discard her feelings.” Moreover, Taapsee added that even though she and Kirti aren’t close friends, they maintain a cordial and professional bond.
“Since she saw our relationship or situation in a certain way, maybe she felt the distance from me. I always kept it professional with her, and I still do. I worked with her in Mission Mangal as well. And I don’t think professionally anything changed for me, because from where I saw it, I did not see any disparity. So, for me, it was the same girl who I worked with in Pink.”
For those unaware, previously, Kirti Kulhari recalled how the hierarchy amongst actors affected her deeply during ‘Pink’ during a conversation with Fever FM. She said, “I saw the trailer was mainly filled with Taapsee and Mr Bachchan. That was first jhatka for me because I know what I have done in the film. Shoojit was like, ‘Don’t worry about it, let the film come out.’ I never do PR. I believe my work will be eventually seen. However, during the promotions, the PR machinery happened for Taapsee because she came after Mr Bachchan (in terms of hierarchy) in that film. Eventually, it became her film and she became the Pink girl in terms of positioning and I saw that happening in front of me. This was the first shocker for me because I couldn’t understand this.”
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