Taapsee Pannu Warns Unconventional Cinema is an “Extinct Species” Ahead of ‘Assi’ Release

February 16, 2026 — As the countdown begins for the release of the hard-hitting courtroom drama Assi, lead actor Taapsee Pannu has sparked a necessary conversation about the survival of experimental and women-led cinema in India. In a candid reflection on the current state of the film industry, Pannu warned that “unconventional” stories are on the verge of becoming an extinct species, urging audiences to move beyond passive support and return to the theaters.

The Battle for Meaningful Stories

Taapsee Pannu, known for her penchant for gritty, socially relevant roles in films like Pink, Mulk, and Thappad, expressed concern over the rigid “templates” of modern commercial cinema. Speaking during the promotional trail for Assi, she highlighted how the industry’s shift toward safe, formulaic “potboilers” is narrowing the space for rooted narratives.

“We are on the verge of becoming an extinct species—and by ‘we,’ I mean films like Assi,” Pannu stated. “There is a certain template that commercial cinema abides by, and we don’t conventionally fall into that. Unless people realize that we need to watch these stories, they will simply disappear.”

The “OTT Myth” and Audience Responsibility

One of the most striking points in Pannu’s address was her debunking of the idea that streaming platforms are a “safety net” for offbeat films. She noted that OTT giants are no longer looking for niche content that fails to perform theatrically; instead, they are chasing the same “massy” audiences as traditional distributors.

• The Theatre-to-OTT Link: Platforms now prioritize films that have already proven their mettle at the box office.
• The “Suicidal” Habit: Pannu described the audience’s tendency to wait for a digital release as “suicidal” for the future of meaningful cinema.
• Rooted vs. Global: She argued that while viewers often criticize Bollywood for lacking “rooted” stories, those same stories are frequently ignored upon release.

About ‘Assi’: A Mirror to Society

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, Assi marks the third collaboration between the filmmaker and Pannu. The title, which means “Eighty” in Hindi, refers to a chilling statistic: the average number of reported sexual assault cases in India every single day.

The film follows the harrowing journey of a survivor (played by Kani Kusruti) and the subsequent legal battle led by Pannu’s character. Sinha, who previously tackled systemic issues in Article 15 and Bheed, aims to hold a mirror to the societal apathy and judicial loopholes that allow such violence to persist.

A Call to Action

Pannu concluded her thoughts by comparing cinema to a varied diet. While “Mughlai” (big-budget commercial hits) has its place, she emphasized that the industry needs its “dal chawal”—the staple, realistic stories that reflect the soul of the country.

“We deserve good cinema only when we value it,” she remarked, encouraging fans to spread the word and fill the seats this Friday. With special screenings already being held across Tier-II cities to build trust, the team behind Assi is making a final stand for the survival of the “unconventional.”