Taapsee Pannu is ready to shake off her intense roles and explore a lighter side of herself in Bollywood. The actress has been typecast as a strong woman in difficult situations, but she's eager to prove that she can handle something more lighthearted.

"I've been waiting for filmmakers to look beyond the kind of roles they associate with me," Taapsee reveals in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times. "Please tell people, have mercy, give me something light. I would love to see you in a rom-com."

Taapsee believes that once an actor finds success in a particular genre, the industry often becomes complacent and starts casting them in the same space. "There's a certain kind of creative imagination that our industry is not that good with," she says.

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"When we see a certain actor good with a certain kind of roles and genres and worlds, we just want to play safe and keep casting that actor in the same world."

However, Taapsee has made a conscious effort to move away from this image. She's turned down several investigation dramas and action films because she didn't want to continue playing the same intense roles. "I've had to turn down too many investigation films and action movies," she admits.

"It just felt like there was a creative bankruptcy where we couldn't imagine a person performing range."

Taapsee believes that an actor's filmography often says more about the roles they're offered than their actual capabilities. She's been offered only 10 intense films, but she chooses the best ones and presents them as strong women in intense situations. However, this limits her opportunities to explore lighter genres.

Romance is another area where Taapsee feels she's been typecast. Despite her success in Manmarziyaan, filmmakers still seem hesitant to see her in love stories. "If someone pitches a love story with me today, people can't imagine it," she says.

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"They don't want to greenlight it because they feel like I'm not the right person for that role."

Taapsee hopes that Gandhari will be her chance to prove herself in a lighter genre. The upcoming film is a romantic drama that follows Bani as she uncovers secrets in the fictional town of Joypurra. Taapsee has taken on the lead role, alongside Ishwak Singh and Jatin Sarna.

For her, being perceived as a strong person shouldn't automatically mean she can't play someone vulnerable or romantic. "Just because I don't come across as a fragile human being in my films or in real life, nobody can imagine me in a love story," she says.