'Abandoned 'Dhak Dhak' after recovering money': Taapsee Pannu slams co-producers
Acclaimed actor Taapsee Pannu recently expressed her dissatisfaction with the performance of her production venture, Dhak Dhak. In a candid conversation on Expresso, a series by The Indian Express, Pannu revealed her frustration over the film's lackluster reception and the co-producers' behavior. "It was very heartbreaking," she confessed, adding that she didn't become a producer for an alternate career but to produce films she wasn't actively part of.
Why does this story matter?
In 2022, Pannu ventured into production for the first time with director Ajay Bahl's horror thriller Blurr. Following this initial project, she embarked on a larger endeavor in 2023 with director Tarun Dudeja's road adventure drama Dhak Dhak. The film was led by an all-women cast featuring Ratna Pathak Shah, Dia Mirza, Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanjana Sanghi. Co-produced by Pannu's Outsiders Films, BLM Pictures, and Viacom18 Studios, Dhak Dhak struggled to attract a substantial audience.
Pannu criticized co-producers for abandoning 'Dhak Dhak'
Pannu criticized the co-producers for not fully supporting Dhak Dhak. She explained, "If it's not a big-budget film, studios recover the money before the film hits theaters. Now that they have made their money, they just make a token release." "Then it's abruptly removed in the middle of the week. But I still didn't have people standing next to me as producers and co-producers who said, 'We did as much as we could.'" "They instead said, 'Why bother?.'"
'It came on OTT after 'The Archies' released...'
Meanwhile, further in the interview, Pannu recalled how it coincided with the release of another major film, feeling uncertain about its fate. "It came on OTT (Netflix)—a day before or after The Archies released. I was like, either my fate or the film's is bad." "I thought it was going to get washed out in the Archies wave. However, 24 hours after release, Dhak Dhak took over Archies and it became #1 trending film on Netflix for 10 days straight."
Pannu recalled when Mirza offered her house for promotional interviews
Despite the film's struggles, Pannu praised the four lead women of Dhak Dhak for their commitment. She highlighted how Mirza offered her house for promotional interviews. "Dia stepped in and provided us a space in her house for interviews with the ladies. She called over journalists to her place for the interviews. I have never seen many actors taking ownership of a film like that. I was so proud to be a part of that film," she added.
