When Taapsee Pannu said it's 'outright unfair' to compare Naam Shabana with Akshay Kumar's Baby
India Today
DYK Taapsee Pannu bagged Naam Shabana after a 7-minute role in Baby? She once said that her film's comparisons with Akshay Kumar's Baby are unfair.
Many felt Taapsee Pannu’s Naam Shabana was a film that marked her evolution as an actress. Taapsee was just three-four films old when she bagged Naam Shabana. The flick was a prequel to the 2015 film Baby, led by Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, and others. Taapsee had a 7-minute role in Baby but she shone brightly. What followed next was Naam Shabana, which made people believe that Taapsee could shoulder a film alone.
Today, March 31, marks 5 years of Naam Shabana. Back in the day, the film was compared to Akshay’s Baby. But Taapsee felt it was “unfair”.
Taapsee Pannu shouldered Naam Shabana that had released on March 31, 2017. 5 years to the film’s release and we are reminded of Taapsee’s apt reply when asked about comparisons with Akshay’s Baby. In a throwback interview with The Indian Express, Taapsee had shared, “I just feel sad. It’s extremely cynical to compare these two films. One has to understand that in Baby it was Akshay Kumar who was leading the film; here it’s me who is only three-four films old in the film industry. Akshay is not even there on the poster of the film. He was barely present during the film promotions.”
She had further added, “He was there for only three days during the entire promotional tour. It’s just being outright unfair to compare Naam Shabana with Baby. If you are comparing a film that has posters with female leading ladies, then it’s fair. But don’t compare it to a film which has a superstar. That’s unfair.”
Taapsee Pannu played an undercover agent in Akshay Kumar’s Baby. She had a 7-minute role in the film but managed to floor everyone with her performance in one of her firsts in Bollywood. Talking about Baby and Naam Shabana, Taapsee tweeted in 2021, “Dear actors, Number of minutes don’t matter, the impact u leave with what u do in those minutes ...... matters :) 7 minutes that changed the direction of tide for me FOR GOOD. Yours truly , Naam Shabana (sic).”
Akshay Kumar, who seemed impressed with Taapsee's tweet, replied, “Absolutely! Always make the most of what you have...proud of you and your onwards and upwards journey (sic).”
