Taapsee Pannu awaits the release of 'Anando Brahma' on August 18. In this interview, the actress talks about what makes the film unique, why Bollywood is no promotion, being a 'star' heroine, and more.

Two exciting genres:

'Anando Brahma' is a combination of two most entertaining genres: horror and comedy. In fact, it is more of the latter than the former. When I did 'Ganga', I didn't want to do anymore in this genre, as I thought no film can get better than that. But when Mahi (V Raghav) narrated the story line of 'AB', in five minutes, I wanted to do it.

A different point of view:

The perspective through which the horror-comedy has been narrated is entirely different. As Mahi doesn't believe in a ghost or a God, his point of view is new. There is an element of fantasy also. So, he really went crazy with his imagination. I can tell you that the film tells an unheard of concept. It's not regular or typical. It's very logical, though.

More involved than ever:

I have never felt part of a Southern film more actively than now. Right from the conceptualization to the promos, I have felt more and more involved. I suggested as to what can be done better with respect to writing, etc. If something sounded old, I would tell Mahi what I felt. If something was regular, I alerted him to it. He was very receptive to the suggestions.

An ordinary role, an extraordinary concept:

The role that I am playing in 'AB' is very ordinary and normal. I have done better roles. There is nothing new to the character. Only the concept is extraordinary. I don't like to sell a product by telling lies. The reason Mahi felt I should do this film is that he knows it takes courage to accept a film in so-and-so set-up, etc.

Disabilities as their strength:

The handicaps of the characters become their inherent strengths in 'AB'. A perfectly healthy person would get scared by a ghost. In our logic, the ghosts visit only during nights. So, one of them is not scared because he can't see it due to night-blindness. Another character is a split personality. Whatever he sees in the morning, he becomes that character at nights. Another person has a hole in his heart. So, he doesn't show any emotion lest he suffers a heart attack.

Mahi is too self-critical:

After the final copy was ready and a screening was done, Mahi felt that I should have been better used in the film. I told him that he doesn't have to give his best in every way.

My only goal:

My only goal now is to do films that I believe in. I want my audience to believe that it's worth their money to watch my film. The role may be ordinary, but the performance has to be great. I did 'Ghazi' not because the character sketch was very special. I did that because I wanted to be a part of that script.

I am a struggler:

I don't see myself as enjoying stardom. I am a struggler. I struggle for good scripts. I make the audience believe that they should watch me. Every job has its share of unfair things.

When I accepted to do 'AB', many felt that I wouldn't even turn up on the set and be a part of the film. But I am proudly here to promote the film.

As for doing more of Tollywood, I am waiting for the result of 'AB'. That would give me an idea as to how my instinct is working.

Media should project new definition:

A heroine is a star heroine only to the extent she works with a star hero. But shouldn't she be called a star heroine because she headlines the cast of a film? What is the definition of stardom? The media has a role in changing the perceptions.

Media is paying more attention:

I think what changed after 'Pink' is that the media is paying little more attention towards me. They want to write about what I am doing next, etc. And every film that I have done in the past 3 years has only increased my confidence.

The learning curve:

In the first three years of my career, I didn't know what kind of films would work for me. I just did them. Neither I was enjoying what I was doing, nor were my audience enjoying it. I then asked myself as to where I should go from here. Either I continue to do commercial films or forget about stardom and just focus on what makes me feel happy.

Bollywood is no promotion:

Why do they see Bollywood as some sort of promotion that an actor gets? I don't see it as one. A lot of Tollywood films earn much more than Bollywood films. It's no bigger platform. Some of the biggest films haven't worked there (in recent past).

In Bollywood, the audience is expecting something new from movies. If it's the same old concept, they would rather watch it on TV. If you write a post saying a film is crap, the collections fall drastically by Sunday.

You have to keep watching me:

I love to do a sports biopic. I am a sports fan; I watch all types of sports. You have to keep watching me. I am not going to get married anytime soon. I won't stop acting even after marriage. The kind of films that Bollywood is making, it doesn't matter whether you are married or have kids. I will leave films only when I get bored.

You can't ignore me:

Love me or hate me, you can't ignore me. Trolling is a part of life. Social media has got its share of pluses and minuses. There was a time when I was blocking my abusers, but I stopped doing even that after a while. Of late, the volley of nasty comments has come down.

The rare occasion when I was trolled so much was during the recent controversy (when Taapsee allegedly made "insulting remarks" about K Raghavendra Rao's style of portrayal of heroines in songs). I apologized as I felt if it made them feel powerful, let me do that. I was actually targeting myself when I made those remarks.