Noted Indian actress Taapsee Pannu recently revealed that in her initial days in the industry, she was told to work with big names, look and behave a certain way in order to reach the top. Taapsee featured in several Telugu and few Tamil films before she made her way to Bollywood. The actress said she made sure not to repeat her mistakes once she started featuring in Hindi films.

She told Cosmopolitan India in an interview, "In the beginning, I was told that the only way to become a star was to work in big-ticket films, alongside big heroes, and that's what took you to the top. That pretty much meant you had to look ultra-glam, be the diva... look a certain way, and be a certain way. And as I told you, I clearly didn't fit in. So in the beginning, I tried really hard to change myself, and to seem more glamorous and a little dumb because, apparently, looking good equals not having a brain."

The actress made her Bollywood debut with 2013 film "Chashme Baddoor". She quickly realised that out-of the box films and being relatable worked better for her, than seeming aspirational. "I learnt this lesson while working on films in the South, so when I switched to Bollywood, I knew that I would not repeat my mistakes," she said.