Does Akshay's presence in Naam Shabana hurt Taapsee Pannu?

Taapsee Pannu enhanced her reputation as an actress with her superb performance in Pink (2016). In a few weeks, she will be seen in the Neeraj Pandey production Naam Shabana, a spy thriller in which she plays a character from Pandey’s Baby (2015), in which the character had appeared in a cameo.

In Naam Shabana, all the attention will be on Pannu. The film will have Akshay Kumar in an extended cameo. Kumar had played the lead in Baby.

So, will Akshay Kumar’s extended cameo harm Pannu’s prospects in the film? 

The actress disagreed. “I like this role reversal," she told Mid-Day newspaper. "It's amazing that a superstar like him decided to back the film. He could have refused to do a cameo given the work he is doing, but he supported the project."

Pannu said that though Akshay Kumar's role in the film is small, he is completely involved. "He called me up during my prep, and complimented me when the first poster was released. He is honest with feedback," she said.

Director-producer Neeraj Pandey had no plans to make a prequel but the positive response to Pannu’s character in Baby made him think about creating a franchise.

Naam Shabana is set to be released on 31 March.