Taapsee Pannu's 'Coconut-Midriff' Comment Wasn't Meant As Disrespect To Director

New Delhi: Actress Taapsee Pannu has clarified that she meant no disrespect to filmmaker K Raghavendra Rao with her comments on how sensuality is portrayed in Southern cinema. The 29-year-old actress was trolled on social media after talking about how a 'coconut was thrown at her navel' in the Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, which was her debut, directed by Mr Rao. Accused by the Internet of ingratitude, Taapsee told news agency IANS, "People thought I was trying to humiliate the director who launched me, which obviously was not the case. I am not that stupid. I always give credit to him (for my career) and have always said that he is a man with the Midas Touch. He is known to launch very big stars. Why will I go and be hurtful or disrespectful towards him? Some people just don't know how to interpret what one says and they manage to see the glass half empty."

Earlier this month, Taapsee featured in a video with comedy collective East India Comedy where she discussed the South's 'fascination with the navel.' She said: "On the first day, they started with a song, with this obsession over midriff. The director who launched me is known to show the sensuality of a woman by showing the midriff and throwing fruits and flowers on the midriff. I saw Sridevi's and other videos everyone had flowers and fruits thrown at them. When it was my turn, they threw a coconut at me. I don't know what is so sensuous about a coconut hitting my midriff."

 

Speaking to IANS, Taapsee Pannu said that 'obsession with a woman's body' is not restricted to the cinema of the South. "There's an obsession for a female's body everywhere. Do I need to name some songs in Bollywood that have some weird obsessions? It's not just there (in the south film industry). I was just sharing my experience because I have seen that in south, and that glamour bit has not happened with me in Bollywood yet," Taapsee said.

Taapsee's next Bollywood film is the David Dhawan-directed Judwaa 2, co-starring Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez. Of reuniting with David Dhawan, who launched her in Bollywood in 2013's Chashme Baddoor, Taapsee said she finally felt like a "quintessential Bollywood heroine" with the "big film, big sets, big director, big producer and big actors." Since moving to Hindi cinema, Taapsee Pannu has featured in acclaimed films such as Pink, Baby and Naam Shabana. She recently won the Woman Of The Year award at the IIFA weekend.

(With IANS inputs)