Assi: 'Let's not hide behind...,' Taapsee Pannu calls out audience silence on meaningful cinema
Taapsee Pannu appealed to the public to assume responsibility for supporting good and genuine Hindi cinema rather than blaming the industry, emphasising the importance of good cinema thriving only through the support of the public on Thursday.
Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu who is gearing up for the release of his comeback movie Assi, took to her Instagram profile to share a long note, through which she urged the Hindi audiences to back rooted stories in a time where audiences 'chose to stay silent when their voice could help push towards supremacy'.
It is significant to note that Taapsee Pannu was last in 2024's release Khel Khel Mein in a supporting role. Her last lead role also came in the same year with the Netflix film Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba.
We deserve good cinema: Taapsee Pannu
Taapsee started her long note with a stern request, 'Getting back to the drill. This time, let's not hide behind the excuse that Hindi cinema doesn't make rooted real stories, let's not hide behind the curtains of ignorance when a film and its makers are leaving no stone unturned in their capacity to get the film to you. Let's not shove it under the carpet that it's our laziness and not the inefficiency of the film industry to bring such stories to THEATRES.'
She further wrote, 'If we want to compete with world cinema let's start with supporting OUR stories. The real ones. Let's change the times because sadly it is no more about just making your film n sitting back. We deserve good cinema only when we value it. The society will soon be derived of good films not because we have consistently called out mediocrity, but because you chose to stay silent when your voice could help push towards supremacy.'
Taapsee Pannu concludes her long post by writing, 'Starting our journey to gain your trust and love for #Assi in different cities with special screenings one week before our official release. Call it confidence in our film or your judgement, we are making sure we don't have a 'TRl....' in our narrative, you make sure you don't have it in yours.'
When and where will Assi be released?
Starring Taapsee Pannu in the lead role, Assi also features Kani Kusruti, Revathi, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in pivotal roles, while Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak, and Seema Pahwa will be seen in special appearances. Presented by Gulshan Kumar and T-Series, Anek is a Banaras Media Works production, directed by Anubhav Sinha and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, and Anubhav Sinha.
The film will be released in theaters on February 20, 2026.
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