Taapsee Pannu turned 39 years old on August 1 this year. On the occasion of the Bollywood actor’s birthday, let’s revisit one of her interviews from February, in which she articulately and very gracefully shared what success means to her, offering a very human take on the hustle culture. Her perspective is grounded in reality and counters the relentless hustle culture, which does not let anyone enjoy and feel the journey to success properly.
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Let’s hear what she said on this.
The actor also spoke about how exhausting it can be to keep chasing one milestone after another. However, once she asked herself how much success would truly be enough, her entire perspective on her career changed. Taapsee said, “ I realised that I had been constantly running after success without enjoying the journey. That time would never return. I might move from one milestone to another, but what would be the point if I could not enjoy the journey between them?”She also remarked, “I want to live happily for myself, not to convince people I am the best actress around. I don’t want to run that race. That really gave me that peace of mind.”
The actor’s message is simple yet powerfully relevant today. The definition of success has now become a convoluted mess, often conflated with endless pursuit of more.
Satisfaction and success are rarely in the same sentence, together, anymore, as feeling content may be mistaken for settling for less, when there is supposedly always more to achieve.
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“How much success is enough? I have to ask myself this question every day. If a film makes ₹100 crore, then what? The next one may make ₹200 crore, but then what? Will there ever be a limit? It could be ₹500, ₹1000 crore, or ₹2000 crore, and I would still constantly remain in hustle mode. At what moment will I finally sit back and enjoy what I have built instead of immediately searching for the next milestone?”
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However, this ‘more to achieve’ mindset can also trivialise your accomplishments, leaving you perpetually dissatisfied. Her insight also draws a sharp distinction between ambition and fulfilment.
Ambition can motivate you to grow, but it can also become draining if you never pause to appreciate how far you have come. Gratitude is important. When ambition becomes a race, you may find yourself hopping from one milestone to another without ever allowing yourself to enjoy the journey.
Taapsee chooses to prioritise her personal happiness over the pressure to prove herself to others. She is moulding success- what it means- on her own terms. She also admitted that this mindset requires everyday practice.
