“My entire journey as an actor is about representing the women I have grown up amidst” Says Taapsee Pannu, Rides High On Gandhari’s Global Success

Taapsee Pannu has added another major recognition to her name, winning the Woman of the Year 2026 honour. The award comes at a significant moment for the actor, who is currently riding high on the remarkable global success of her latest film Gandhari. The film continues its strong run on OTT, recording 18.9 million views in its first three weeks, further adding to the momentum around Taapsee’s performance and the film’s reception worldwide.

While accepting the honour, Taapsee spoke candidly about how unplanned her journey as an actor has been and credited her colleagues for constantly pushing her to raise her own bar. “So, as an actor, all I can say is my journey has been quite unplanned. So the credit, every year if I win something, I give a major share to my colleagues. Because if they wouldn’t have raised the bar, I wouldn’t have strived to probably touch their levels or probably try to go higher. Because every year I know how hard all the women in the industry hustle, struggle to get the best parts, to perform their best in every film they get an opportunity for. So, this is actually for all of you ladies there in the film industry who helped me, inspired me to give my best, to be better than the best and be here. Some years were nice, some years were not so nice. But then I had you all, the women in the audience, who made sure that they told me they want me and that’s why I showed up. Because if it wouldn’t have been for all of you who probably saw something different who saw themselves in me probably representing them on screen, I wouldn’t have been here,” she shared.

She further said, “My entire journey as an actor is about representing the women I have grown up amidst, I have played with, I have gone to school with, college with, women in my family and today they are the reason why I have found my presence in this big industry which was definitely not a part of my planning. So thank you so much for having me here.”

Her Woman of the Year 2026 win arrives alongside one of her biggest recent milestones. Gandhari, in which Taapsee plays a mother on an intense mission to save her kidnapped daughter, has continued to make an impact on OTT, becoming one of the highest-viewed Indian Netflix Originals, as it entered its 4th week.

The honour therefore comes at a fitting point in Taapsee’s career, celebrating not just another award-winning year, but an actor who has consistently used her platform to portray strong, layered women while acknowledging the women and audiences who have been part of that journey.