‘Thappad’ actress Taapsee Pannu, who has always been unafraid to tread unconventional paths and embrace roles less tied to commercial norms, embarked on her producer journey with Ajay Bahl’s horror film ‘Blurr.’ Following this, Taapsee backed Tarun Dudeja’s road adventure drama ‘Dhak Dhak,’ which featured an all-female cast including Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanjana Sanghi in leading roles.
Apart from Taapsee Pannu’s Outsiders Films, ‘Dhak Dhak’ received support from BLM Pictures and Viacom18. Despite this backing, the film failed to gain significant traction in 2023. Reflecting on the project and the co-producers’ actions after recovering their investment, Taapsee shared her disappointment in an interview with Indian Express Expresso.
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She recalled feeling disheartened by the film’s reception and frustrated with the co-producers’ approach, stating, “It was very heartbreaking. I didn’t become a producer to pursue an alternative career. I was doing quite well as an actor, and I could have chosen to produce films in which I also acted, which would have been safer.” Emphasizing her vision, she explained her desire to support films she wasn’t necessarily starring in, with ‘Dhak Dhak’ being a manifestation of that goal.
Further elaborating on her stance, Taapsee highlighted the challenges faced when commitments made during the film’s inception couldn’t be fulfilled due to market shifts. “Two years after signing the film, the landscape shifted towards packaging and selling films,” she explained. “Studios began bundling big films with smaller ones to fetch better prices from OTT platforms. This minimized risk for larger productions but marginalized smaller films lacking star power or clear market trends.”
Taapsee went on to mention that OTT platforms adopted similar strategies, no longer accepting every film and shying away from investing in PR for smaller projects. “With difficulty in marketing, they’d suggest a theatrical release to gauge response before committing,” she added.
The actress and producer lamented that her co-producers didn’t see the film through to its full potential. “For smaller-budget films, they recoup their investment pre-release, resulting in token theatrical releases with limited prime-time screenings,” she noted.