Actress Taapsee Pannu spoke out about pressure to wear padded bras in South Indian films, calling it embarrassing and uncomfortable.

Actress Taapsee Pannu has spoken about the pressure female actors face in South Indian cinema, revealing that directors sometimes ask them to wear padded bras to enhance their appearance, a request she found embarrassing. She described the process as awkward, with instructions often relayed through male crew members, leading to uncomfortable on-set experiences. Pannu noted differences in how bodies are portrayed across regions—South Indian films emphasizing the navel, Hindi films focusing on cleavage—both driven by perceived audience appeal. She also apologized for a joke about a coconut incident during filming, clarifying it was meant as self-deprecating humor and not disrespectful. She is currently promoting her new courtroom drama, Assi, released February 20, 2026.