Veeran, Mumtaz, Nimmi, Ashima Chaudhary, Ghazala Mir, Simi Sinha, Krishna Mehra — the women Tabu brings to life with her performances invariably stand out for the way they make the audience think of the worlds they inhabit, of the individuals they are. There’s a middle-aged woman grappling with the problems of new love while mourning an old one; a seductress willing to go to any length to have her way; a homemaker out of sorts in a new country. Tabu is each of these women with the same, profound degree of believability. Sometimes she transcends the script she’s given; sometimes, she becomes the secret weapon of the story. Over a career spanning eighty roles (and counting), Tabu makes a role feel special, no matter how much screen-time she may get. There is also an aura of mystery surrounding her as a celebrity. The actor has remained taciturn about the details of her process, how she dissects her roles and prepares for her performances. As such, it feels like her acting has an ineffable, intuitive quality to it, making Tabu a joy to behold.
Whether she’s sinking her teeth into a complex Shakespearean character or hurling swear words like we’ve seen in the trailer of her upcoming film Crew, it’s no secret that we love watching Tabu on our screens. Here are some of our favourite pieces of insight that Tabu has shared with Film Companion over the years.
On her approach to acting and why she isn’t the kind to do research
“I didn’t learn acting that way. I didn’t go to film school, so I’ve been learning on the job. I wouldn’t even know how to do proper research or how to apply technique or what the technique is. I think I should sit and ask all these theatre actors ki technique kya hoti hai, batao? (what is technique, anyway?)”
