When Mira Nair called Tabu ‘India’s Meryl Streep’, the country couldn’t agree more. The filmmaker’s 2006 movie The Namesake, also starring the late Irrfan, is counted among Tabu’s most memorable performances. Cut to 2024, Tabu plays Sister Francesca in the epic sci-fi series Dune: Prophecy, marking her compelling Hollywood debut after nearly four decades of essaying remarkable and relatable women on the Indian screen. Known for her versatility and powerhouse finesse in acting just as much as her simplicity off the camera, the National Award winner confesses to be an accidental actress, who would have probably preferred focussing on her studies in the comfort of her Hyderabad home had destiny not brought her to a film set in Mumbai. Be it mainstream cinema or independent films, Tabu has often redefined women-led roles in narratives that she thoughtfully chooses, creating an enviable oeuvre for herself quite effortlessly.
Did you know it was Dev Anand who convinced a young Tabu to play a schoolgirl’s character in his 1985 film Hum Naujawan? Later, she played the leading lady in several commercial movies including Vijaypath, Haqeeqat, Saajan Chale Sasural, Virasat, Hu Tu Tu, Thakshak, Tarkieb and Hum Saath – Saath Hain, among others. However, it was an array of critically acclaimed projects such as Gulzar saab’s Maachis, Mahesh Manjrekar-directed Astitva, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Chandni Bar and R Balki’s Cheeni Kum (alongside Amitabh Bachchan) that showed Tabu in a completely different light, so much so that she became a household name. Admittedly an ‘experience junkie’, Tabu has always tried to break the mould and take up roles that influence her ‘inner landscape’ as well as make a mark as an actor who doesn’t submit to ‘linearity’. At the peak of her career when she could have easily taken up more ‘glamorous’ roles, she favoured doing slow, meaningful cinema that tells the stories of everyday women who are vulnerable yet unflinching and indomitable. Quietly she broke the glass ceiling in new-age cinema with the definitive characters she played onscreen, often at par with her predecessors like Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi. There were times when the talented Tabu was even compared with all-time greats like Nargis Dutt and Nutan, when it came to her acting choices and onscreen presence.
Tabu’s brilliant portrayals of Nimmi in Maqbool and Ghazala Meer in Haider, both films directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, further attested to the magnificence of her craft, inner workings as well as her penchant for dark and layered characters. For somebody who’s never received any formal training in acting, Tabu delivers a masterclass every time she appears on screen. The ease and profundity with which she breathes life into her characters have inspired a generation of actresses who are keen on riveting feminist narratives that spotlight women’s agency in a patriarchal world. Despite her stardom, Tabu is also known to be a risk-taker who has never shied away from picking roles that may not always complement her otherwise serious and formidable image. Perhaps, it’s interesting to note here that her character of Anuradha Shivshankar Panikar in the cult comedy Hera Pheri and Janki Paswan in the Kamal Haasan-starrer Chachi 420 were also quite extraordinary. Unlike her contemporaries, Tabu has also made her presence felt in South Indian cinema. Be it Coolie No.1 (Telugu), Snegithiye (Tamil), Cover Story (Malayalam), the much-talked-about Kandukondain Kandukondain or more recently Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu), she has garnered appreciation for her acting prowess and depiction of a range of emotions in different languages.
In the streaming space, she won hearts with her portrayal of Saeeda Begum in the BBC period drama series A Suitable Boy. Meanwhile, her performance in Golmaal Again, Andhadhun, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Drishyam 2, Kuttey, Bholaa and Khufiya and Crew have time and again assured that Tabu is unbeatable, quite literally! Although often lauded for her timeless beauty, stellar performance and fortitude, Tabu is a lot more than that. The subliminal message of the characters she plays feed the very conscience of Indian cinema.
