Her Law of Conviction

Taapsee Pannu speaks about her latest courtroom drama, Assi, and the cost of choosing meaningful films

- PUJA TALWAR

Over the years, Taapsee Pannu has repeatedly returned to the courtroom in films such as Pink, Badla, and now Anubhav Sinha's Assi, playing characters who navigate the fraught terrain between justice and power. "The court is my lucky charm, and something good always comes out of it," she says.

"I never studied law, and I don't think I had the aptitude to become a lawyer in real life. But I vicariously live it through my characters on screen." In Assi, she plays Raavi, an advocate fighting for a victim of sexual assault.

Her efforts are hamstrung by a venal judiciary and a society that remains largely indifferent to the plight of survivors. The film marks her third collaboration with Sinha after Mulk and Thappad.

Pannu is aware of the shrinking space for women-led stories and the challenges that come with it. "My films aren't the ones that come with mega budgets," she says. "I have never shied away from hard work or challenges.