Sheena Chohan at Women in Film India Event with Taapsee Pannu: “When Women Support Each Other, We Elevate the Entire Industry”
Pan Indian Actress Sheena Chohan had a meaningful exchange with Taapsee Pannu at the recent Women in Film India gathering, where the two actresses connected over the evolving space for women and women-led narratives in Indian cinema.
Sheena Chohan, who has been drawn to strong, layered and emotionally complex characters, told Pannu that she deeply admires the space she has created for stories centred on real, vulnerable and unapologetically honest women.
“I really admire the way Taapsee has created space for women-led stories. These are stories about real women—vulnerable, honest, complex women—and I feel these are the stories that need to be told,” Sheena shared.
What struck Chohan equally was Taapsee Pannu’s authenticity beyond her film choices. “I told her that I admire how she speaks her mind and is not afraid to stand by what she believes in. There is something very real about her, and I really respect that.”
Pannu’s response resonated strongly with Chohan. “We really need to step up and speak up,” she told her.
For Sheena, the exchange captured something larger about where the industry is headed. As more women increasingly take charge as actors, filmmakers, producers and storytellers, the conversation is shifting from simply asking for representation to actively creating opportunities and narratives that reflect the breadth of women’s experiences.
The gathering brought together several influential voices from the industry, including Guneet Monga Kapoor, Kanika Dhillon and Rabia Chopra, and created an atmosphere of genuine camaraderie and exchange. For Sheena, however, it was the candid conversation with Pannu that became one of the evening’s highlights.
“I believe we are stronger together. When women genuinely support, celebrate and create space for one another, it elevates the entire industry. It allows us to be more courageous about the stories we tell and the kind of cinema we want to create.”
The sentiment is closely aligned with the larger vision of Women in Film India, which works towards greater equity, access and opportunity for women and gender-diverse individuals across India’s film industries.
For Sheena, the evening was ultimately less about a formal industry gathering and more about the power of connection—two actresses speaking openly about cinema, courage and the responsibility to create space for stories that deserve to be heard.
And perhaps that is where the real change begins: when women in cinema stop competing for space and start creating more of it for one another.
Sheena Chohan, who recently spoke at the United Nations in New York, creating awareness around women’s rights, equal respect, and equality, is known for character driven roles, is gearing up for her upcoming pan India release Jatasya Maranam Dhruvam, where she plays an IPS officer cop opposite JD Chakravarthy, releasing across five languages. She will also be seen in Bhaayava and Justice, in which she takes on the distinct leading roles of a she-devil and a ghost, respectively.
