She’s an icon, irreplaceable, and unstoppable! In an exclusive conversation with the power-performer Tabu, Aakanksha Naval-Shetye tries to demystify the woman behind the cinematic enigma and find out what makes the star a true force to reckon with in the world of cinema who effortlessly blends mystery and mastery to work her magic on the big screen!
A sheer tour de force on the big screen, Tabu has over decades merged box office triumphs seamlessly with unparalleled critical acclaim, not just in Indian cinema, but internationally too. An actor par excellence, Tabu’s magnetic screen presence topped with extraordinary performances that spell versatility, brilliance, and unparalleled depth in her craft have catapulted her as an irreplaceable actor in a league of cinema greats. And with an unmatched ability to convey raw emotion and bring out the complexities of her layered characters with aplomb on screen, the powerhouse performer has come to be recognised and celebrated as one of the most compelling figures in cinematic history.
From garnering prestigious awards to gaining global recognition, the iconic star has defined a complete era of cinema and impacted society far beyond her filmography with her brave screen choices. The Padma Shri recipient, winner of two National Awards as well as several Filmfare Awards, the globally-acclaimed actress has shattered every glass ceiling when it comes to the Box Office, paving the way for realistic women-led movies into the mainstream by proving their commercial viability time and again. Never shying away from taking on challenging roles head on, the acclaimed actress has made realistic women characters being celebrated in all shades of grey, possible in mainstream cinema!
Fearless in choices and honest to a fault, it’s an irresistible combination that makes her a rarity in the industry that often pressurises its women to conform to the beaten path. Blending cinematic credibility with box office viability across industries, languages and genres, her versatility continues to be unmatched. So, while she excels in intense dramas like Chandni Bar, Hu Tu Tu, Haider, Maqbool, Astitva, Maachis, she also hits bullseye with her impeccable comic-timing in hardcore massy entertainers like Crew, Bhool Bhulaaiyaa 2, Golmaal Again, Jawaani Jaaneman… Whether it’s a romcom like Cheeni Kum, De De Pyaar De or thrillers like Andhadhun, Drishyam, Kuttey, South blockbusters like Iruvar, Kaalapaani, Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo or internationally-acclaimed films like Mira Nair’s The Namesake, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, and now the highly-anticipated global series Dune: Prophecy, Tabu’s prolific repertoire continues to inspire actors across generations.
I catch up with the gorgeous actress in Mumbai on a Saturday afternoon. There’s a lot happening – in between her shoots and script reading, she’s also prepping to fly to New York to attend the premiere of the highly-anticipated Dune: Prophecy, and make it back in time to celebrate her birthday with her family. I’m meeting her after long and she puts aside everything to settle down for a candid chat over unending cups of chai coming in from her kitchen. She is one of the very few I know, who is totally unfazed by age. And why wouldn’t she be. Afterall, Tabu enjoys a longevity at the BO that has largely been a domain reserved for our heroes!
“Maine yeh sab kabhi socha nahin yaar, I just enjoy sinking my teeth in what I hope will be tasteful roles. Kuch achhe nikalte hain, kabhi kabhi daant khattey bhi ho jaatey hain. But I relish the experience,” she says in all honesty, flashing her most candid smile. In fact, being brutally honest has been a trait that has remained untouched in her for over three decades since her debut. Navigating through the highs and lows, the actress stands triumphant today in a league of her own and far beyond the reach of most others! “I just believe in being in the moment, enjoying what I’m doing, feeling it intensely, loving intensely and living passionately,” she smiles, as we dive headlong in a candid tete-a-tete talking all things life, love and demystifying the irreplaceable Tabu!
Whether it is critical acclaim or commercial viability at the Box Office, Hindi cinema, South film industry, OTT or the West… You are hailed as one of the most celebrated stars of Indian cinema…
I really never have an answer for this. I just feel blessed to be so loved and accepted by fans, by filmmakers who have always entrusted me with some of their most challenging works, having full faith that I would be able to do justice to those roles on screen. For me, there has never been a career chart drawn that I wished to follow. What has been there is only the intention to do good work, excel in it and do a fabulous job to the best of my abilities as an actor, whatever project it is. And going forward too that is always going to be the intention. I am grateful for all the titles and honours, but they are not a draw for me. I’m a growth junkie, so for me growing in experience, as an actor and as an individual is far more important for me.
You enjoy the kind of longevity that has usually been reserved for and was largely considered the domain of male superstars. Like post-40s when most ‘heroines’ are rethinking positioning, you further strengthened your Box Office credibility. How have you stayed so relevant across generations, industries both Indian and globally?
I think subconsciously as an actor the abilities do get honed with every cinematic experience, but I think in my case it has largely to do with the fact that I have never been afraid to explore unchartered territories when it comes to choosing scripts and push those boundaries for myself as an actor. I don’t think like a heroine, I think like an actor, so my approach is multi-layered rather than being just single-dimensional. Not that I have not done those single-dimensional roles and not enjoyed them, I have loved each one and I own them all with pride too! But I have organically also grown to challenge myself. Not for any titles, but to grow as an actor. And that hunger, those experiences I think rub off on your artistic approach and performances. And thankfully, there is no end to this. This job we do as actors is so alive that every day we have a new experience with our own craft, with understanding of the industry… There’re so many things that really dictate the choices that you make and the work you do. You don’t consciously sit and prepare your map, but I do have a simple rule to follow along my journey. Anything that stifles me, anything that restricts me, troubles me is not going to be a part of my life. I want to keep growing and be limitless in my life in every aspect. Rest all is just the outcome of the choices driven by a need to do something more exciting and challenging than what has been done already.
You have achieved so many milestones effortlessly – whether they are awards or your iconic roles!
Effortless maybe, because, like I said, it was never planned, nor was it on any of my to-do lists (laughs). All I’ve done is tried to give in my 100 per cent to the roles and to the characters. I did not set out with an agenda to try and redefine women-centric films or do specific heroine-centric roles, or any specific genres. I have always been very open to any genre as long as the script and the role excites me or challenges me. I don’t have a judgement about any genre. And I have been very fortunate that filmmakers from all genres have come to me and I worked with all of them irrespective of the genre.
“There’re so many things that really dictate the choices that you make and the work you do. You don’t consciously sit and prepare your map, but I do have a simple rule to follow along my journey. Anything that stifles me, anything that restricts me, troubles me is not going to be a part of my life.”
But was there a specific draw to doing the strong women-oriented films back when they were not considered a mainstream genre?
I think more than being wanting to be a part of heroine-oriented films, or like they were called women-centric ones, especially Astitva and Chandni Bar, I did those not so much for the genre they belong to but because the women roles were unconventional. They were not the regular conventional heroines, especially the ones we saw in the mainstream commercial cinema. And I did have an issue as to why can’t even mainstream commercial cinema have these women characters that are real, flawed, have layers and not necessarily be painted in ‘holier than thou’ images. So that for me was challenging and exciting to explore.
Do you ever think of how it was the commercial success of your films like a Chandni Bar or a Hu Tu Tu that bridged that gap of films with real-women characters breaking out of the art-house or parallel cinema domain and becoming a part of mainstream cinema. In fact, it paved the way for more filmmakers exploring, presenting and celebrating the women characters in all their shades in mainstream cinema… So many actresses and directors have actually benefitted from your fearless choices…
I don’t think of it so much as a personal triumph, although my industry friends and peers never let me forget this (laughs). Back then, I was not looking at revolutionizing anything, but it was definitely an internal fight for me as an actor. It was something that troubled me and I wanted to establish as an actor. The quintessential film heroine we saw in mainstream were women characters largely defined by society rules of good and bad. And I’m talking about majority, not all, so this is not a generic statement for all the films. Of course, they did have their presence felt and I loved doing all that too but they were one-dimensional to a large extent. And I was craving to play characters that had a mind of their own that you could see on screen. And I think I fought for the women I played on screen. I think I was somewhere fighting for the women they were, their journeys and stories. I think I wanted representation for women from all walks of life and a lot of women identified with the characters I could portray on screen. See, the fear of filmmakers and of the business was that it was risky and so radical to represent and portray these women, because they were afraid that audience will not accept such characters. But when women could identify with the roles and several of these characters I played, that did prove to be somewhat of a game-changer, because in some way the women got a voice.
You came to be known as the ‘thinking man’s heroine’! But wasn’t playing such strong, real and radical women characters a huge career risk for a mainstream commercial heroine like you…
I never thought of it as a risk or not. But yeh hypocritical moral values ka chakkar mujhe bohot boring lagta tha honestly. The disparity between reel women and real women was so huge, and that was something that bothered me. I’m not saying that everything that happens in the society needs to be out there, but there can’t be total disconnect between women’s depiction in pop-culture and performing arts from the real world! The sexual representation of women was largely only through dressing them provocatively or ‘bold scenes’! So, sensual women were there, but what was largely missing was the portrayal of women as main leads whose desires were explored in an intelligent, mature way or them to be portrayed in a completely radical way like in Hu Tu Tu. Heroines wearing bikinis was there, but when it came to the intellectual expression of their sexuality or showing any grey shades, there were reservations. My thing was that there are so many ways to have real women get some representation with their sexuality! I’m very proud of Chandni Bar because the lead heroine was a bar-dancer. Till then they were relegated to being the vamps or molls. The success of Chandni Bar really changed things. And I’m happy that it gave the confidence to many other actors and many filmmakers to attempt movies like that where the heroine was not just some rich, pretty, face or a good, docile, girl.
“When you grow up with that kind of fearless but respectful value system where you learn to respect yourself before catering to outside pressures, ki jo accha nahi lag raha hai mat karo, koi zarurat nahi hai…
you have the confidence to take on anything the world throws at you!”
You have been just as fearless and bold in real too!
All I know is that I have been real and I have been uncompromisingly, unapologetically me. There have been times I have gone against what people were asking me to do and I think 90 per cent of the times, people were always stopping me from what I wanted to do. So many of my managers would be fed up of me for my choices or refusing on the big films (laughs). But I always did what I felt right and I did knowing well that good or bad, I have the guts to face and own up the consequences too.
Where do you get that courage to just follow your heart in this industry?
I think I’ve grown up like that. We’ve always heard these things from my grandmother and from my mother ki jo accha lag raha hai vo karo aur jo accha nahi lag raha hai mat karo. It was as simple as that. When you grow up with that kind of fearless but respectful value system where you learn to respect yourself before catering to outside pressures, ki jo accha nahi lag raha hai mat karo, koi zarurat nahi hai… you have the confidence to take on anything the world throws at you! Also when I started, becoming an actress was first of all never a dream. So there was never a fear of failure or insecurity at any stage. It was more like, ‘Hua toh hua, nahin hua toh jaane do!’ and never like, ‘Actress nahin banungi to mar jaungi, aur mujhe famous hona hi hai’. So, I guess it’s my genes, and my family that has always lived like that ki apne dil se jeeyenge, jo karna hai karenge, kisi ko rehna hai rahe, nahi rehna hai, good luck to you! (laughs) So, we’re all very strong minded people in family, especially the women in my family. We are very clear even if we are making mistakes, they’ll be our mistakes. For me it was like I’m doing this thing, if it does not work, it’s my problem! I’m not going to come and ask you for help if my choices don’t work. And if they work and if it works for you in some way, great! You can totally take advantage of that and I’m okay with it too.
You’re known for this brutal honesty, yet are quite the favourite with your co-stars and filmmakers love to repeat you in their movies…
I think because professionally they believe in my abilities and they know what I bring to the character and the table. And once we work there’s usually such deep connections formed, that the respect is topped with a lot of love and genuine mutual admiration too, and also because I think I’m loveable like that (laughs).
“Yeh hypocritical moral values ka chakkar mujhe bohot boring lagta tha honestly. The disparity between reel women and real women was so huge and that was something that bothered me. I’m not saying that everything that happens in the society needs to be out there, but there can’t be total disconnect between women’s depiction in pop-culture and performing arts from the real world!”
That is true. People assume you to be really intense and broody kind of a person, but those who know you swear that you are one of the most fun-loving people to be around! I think I’m a funny person and I have always had funny people around me. Like my family is full of people with a great sense of humor. In fact, there’s a thumb-rule in our family that anybody who is getting married, pehle uske spouse ka sense of humour test hota hai. Sorry, but people with a bad sense of humor are not allowed in my house (laughs).
So, what is the real Tabu like?
We are so many people in one… With my mother, I’m the daughter with a certain temperament and she gets a side of me that no one else will get to see, on a film I’m a professional, so different people bring out different facets of you. But at the core, I am a very direct person, not good at being diplomatic or hiding anything that I feel. My friends and my family matter the most to me and my Chinu (pet pooch) too. I think relationships form the core of my existence and I’m blessed to have people in my life who I cherish, who love me, and will be there till the end. I believe in deep relationships and meaningful experiences, that’s all there is to life! That’s why I even enjoy doing films across genres and languages and regions, here or in the West. I enjoy that experience, feeling the emotions, it’s like running your fingers through the different textures of life and its beautiful.
And what’s your take on love and relationships and life?
A very close friend who knows me really well, once told me, ‘if something is not intense enough for you, it will not work for you’ and I think that is a 100 per cent true. Like I’m a growth junkie, I’m also a feelings and an experience junkie. I feel deeply, I love deeply and live passionately. For me, the fun and the pleasure is in going beyond the bare minimum of a survival mode and experiencing the entire gambit of emotions… the highs and lows and anything that goes with it because I think my bandwidth is really high and if I’m not getting that kind of an enriching experience out of anything, I’ll get really bored. Maybe because I feel everything very intensely, surface level gets a little boring. When it comes to relationships, friendships, basic human equations, I don’t know any other way, than to be in it intensely and feel everything deeply from the heart. And I’m able to appreciate the highs of every relationship and feel the loss of it too just as intensely. I literally live in moments. Kuch plan nahin karti, because life ke apne plans hote hain! You can’t predict anything, so you are open to getting hurt. But there is no other way I know to live!
A lot of actresses talk about being inspired by your repertoire…
That is very lovely of them. I have tremendous amount of love for them and its touching to see the kind of love they have for me. And with many of them, it goes beyond work. I love them and they give me so much of love and respect that it fills my heart.
Do you ever pause and say to yourself a ‘well done Tabu’?
No, never needed to, all of you, my fans, filmmakers… have all done it for me (Laughs)!
So no looking back and no regrets?
None at all. I think the pandemic too just showed us how some things that seemed so important are just so insignificant in a larger scheme of things and also showed us things that are truly valuable. So, chill karo. Live the moment. It’s a very individual choice about what you are willing to put at stake and if it’s even worth it. Like I would be willing to go to any lengths for the people who matter to me, but when it comes to work I believe that what I’m worthy of, will find me! So, everything happened and will happen for a reason and I’d rather enjoy every moment now than think of what was and what will be.
QUICK TAKE:
3 Words that best describe you? Direct, lazy, fun!
If you could be any one character from the roles that you’ve played on screen in real life, which one would it be? Oh my God, good question! Nina Verma from Cheeni Kum!
Tell us one thing about you that no one knows? I cannot bear crumpled clothes! Like I will totally judge you if you take out clothes from the wardrobe and just wear it without ironing it. Like they can get crumpled after you wear it, but getting into crumpled clothes is a big no no!
Your guilty pleasure? Breads.
Your strength is? My mother!
Which of your film should get a sequel? Chandni Bar would be interesting…
Your birthday wish? That these birthdays should not come so soon (laughs)!
One rumour about you that you wish was true? When I was doing Hu Tu Tu, there was this rumour that I bathe in milk. I really wish that was true.
