Stupid to Boycott Film Based on Actor’s Political Views: Taapsee

Tapsee said that “it is stupid” to decide to watch a movie “based on an actor’s socio-political views.”

Taapsee Pannu faced flak on social media for her views on the CAA. 

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

Even as Anubhav Sinha’s directorial, Thappad, releases in theatres today, 28 February, #BoycottThappad has been trending on Twitter. Many trolls have been demanding for the movie to be banned and the reason for that is her stand against CAA.

In a statement to The Times of India, Taapsee reacted to the hashtag being trended by a section of social media users, and said, “I think personal opinions of actors should not affect their profession and I don’t really think it does to an extent. It takes about 1000-2000 tweets to trend a certain hashtag. Does that really affect a film? I don’t think so,” she said.

The actor also said that “it is stupid to decide whether you want a watch a film or not based on an actor’s socio-political views”.

“I might have different social and political views from a lot of people but that does not mean people will not go and watch the film. An actor is never bigger than a film. A film has hundreds of people involved in it. It is stupid to decide whether or not you will watch a movie based on an actor’s socio-political views.”

Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee’s stance against CAA became known to the public after she participated in a peaceful anti-CAA protest. This was also a means of expressing solidarity with students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who were allegedly victims of an attack by an armed mob.

Deepika Padukone, who last starred in Meghna Gulzar’s Chappak as the survivor of an acid attack, faced a quandary similar to Tapsee’s. After she expressed solidarity with students at JNU and visited their campus, #BoycottChappak was trending on Twitter.

Citizens from different parts of the country have been critical about the CAA, National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR). Their protests have been met with harsh criticism from those who are in support of CAA-NRC and NPR. The polarized opinions between citizens have resulted in anger which has spilled onto Twitter and other social media platforms, apart from the streets.

Director Anubhav Sinha’s Thappad documents the story of a young woman who files an application for divorce after being slapped by her husband. It documents the tribulations and isolation she faces for taking the stand. The cast includes Pavail Gulati, Dia Mirza, Kumud Mishra and Manav Kaul.

The film is scheduled to be released on 28 February.