Taapsee Pannu says she found out about women’s cricket team in 2017: ‘I am embarrassed about it’

Taapsee Pannu has confessed she was not aware about the existence of a women’s cricket team in India before 2017. She said she came to know about it only when former cricketer Mithali Raj objected to a question by a mediaperson, saying if they had ever asked a male cricketer about their favourite female cricketer. Also read: Taapsee Pannu jokes she almost forgot she’s an actor: ‘I’ve tried badminton, volleyball and even gali wala pithu’

The actor plays former cricketer Mithali Raj in her biopic, Shabaash Mithu. Directed by Srijit Mukerji, the film is set to hit the big screens on July 15 and will be Taapsee’s first theatrical release after her 2020 film Thappad. The actor said she was ‘embarrassed about the fact’ that she did not know about the women’s team until five years ago.

Taapsee told Filmfare in an interview, “I must confess that I only found out that we also have a women’s cricket team in 2017. I got to know about it so late and that too because of a statement she made in the media when she was asked who her favourite male cricketer was. When I read that statement, I got to know that she is the captain of our women’s team and that we even have a team. I am embarrassed about the fact that I did not know that we had a team before that.”

Taapsee also called Shabaash Mithu her toughest film so far, and said, “I was so excited that I said yes at that time. But while training for it, I was asking myself – why the hell I didn’t play cricket when I was younger? Why couldn’t I choose to do a normal film?”

Written by Priya Aven, Shabaash Mithu is a coming-of-age story that also focuses on Mithali Raj’s role in the growth of women’s cricket in India. It not just celebrates the skipper’s achievements but also addresses pertinent issues faced by sportswomen.