Posted:
www.missmalini.com/2015/11/05/my-love-affair-with-tabu-aka-why-shes-bollywoods-most-underrated-actress/
My Love Affair With Tabu AKA Why She's
Bollywood's Most Underrated Actress!
Posted by Priyam Saha
November 5, 20151 4.5K Shares
Tabu
I'm not sure when my love affair with Tabu
started. I was probably too busy copying
Karisma Kapoors moves in the '90s and getting
over Madhuri Dixits dhak dhak from the '80s to
really take notice of Tabu. Of course, Ruk Ruk Ruk
was an antakshari favourite, but Tabu wasn't really part of my scheme of things till much later.
Maybe it happened because I was as young as I was, but I remember feeling uneasy when I saw her play Veeran in Maachis in 1996. And I didn't really know what a coy bride could be like before I saw Viraasat in 1997. Chachi 420 in 1997 was a
childhood favourite obviously. But what sealed the deal for me was Astitva in 2000. It was about a woman who was trying to find her identity
outside of her married life and no one but Tabu
could have portrayed the role. Each time she
came on screen, it lit up in a way that only she
could manage.
Years later, I had to study the film as a part of my
Women's Studies paper in grad school and I
realized all over again that Tabu's act was
unmatched. Chandni Bar (2001) remains a
highlight of her career and the gumption with
which the woman portrays the role almost makes
it difficult for you to believe that she was Main
Ladki Po Po Po in Hera Pheri just a year before
Chandni Bar released.
Tabu in Hera Pheri
Not too much is known about her personal life -
and what a refreshing change that is! Whenever
we see her in interviews, she seems relaxed,
comfortable and in no need for any validation.
She speaks of her fairly exciting life, how yoga is
her fitness mantra and the huge groups of friends
she hangs out with all the time. She effortlessly
says things like "Nothing is stopping me from
marrying, but nothing is pushing me either" and
doesn't seem to concern herself with the petty
things in life. She claims to be addicted to the
internet but isn't on social media. She travels the world, but can't see herself on a backpacking
trip.
With her tall frame, long dark hair and a vivacious
smile, Tabu really seems comfortable in her own
skin. Her clothes seem incidental to her and she's
never trying to make a statement, and I feel
that's the sexiest thing about her - the eerie
sense of understatement.
Tabu in The Namesake
The Namesake (2006) and Life Of Pi (2012) may
be her eminent international projects that she did
complete justice to, but what I can't put into
words is the magic she created in Maqbool (2003)
. If anyone in the industry could have played Lady
Macbeth with the grace she did, it was her alone;
so much so that you feel a sense of strange
nostalgia when you watch her scenes with Irrfan
Khan in Talvar (2015).
Of course, we have to take a moment to talk
about her work in Cheeni Kum (2007) where not
only did she hold her own opposite Amitabh
Bachchan, but also stole the show in some
scenes - and just how many actors can boast of
that? Her last outing Drishyam was much
appreciated, but I have to tell you that I clapped
the loudest for her in Haider... my God!!!
Tabu in Haider
Just wanted to tell you that you're an amazing,
amazing woman :')
My Love Affair With Tabu AKA Why She's
Bollywood's Most Underrated Actress!
Posted by Priyam Saha
November 5, 20151 4.5K Shares
Tabu
I'm not sure when my love affair with Tabu
started. I was probably too busy copying
Karisma Kapoors moves in the '90s and getting
over Madhuri Dixits dhak dhak from the '80s to
really take notice of Tabu. Of course, Ruk Ruk Ruk
was an antakshari favourite, but Tabu wasn't really part of my scheme of things till much later.
Maybe it happened because I was as young as I was, but I remember feeling uneasy when I saw her play Veeran in Maachis in 1996. And I didn't really know what a coy bride could be like before I saw Viraasat in 1997. Chachi 420 in 1997 was a
childhood favourite obviously. But what sealed the deal for me was Astitva in 2000. It was about a woman who was trying to find her identity
outside of her married life and no one but Tabu
could have portrayed the role. Each time she
came on screen, it lit up in a way that only she
could manage.
Years later, I had to study the film as a part of my
Women's Studies paper in grad school and I
realized all over again that Tabu's act was
unmatched. Chandni Bar (2001) remains a
highlight of her career and the gumption with
which the woman portrays the role almost makes
it difficult for you to believe that she was Main
Ladki Po Po Po in Hera Pheri just a year before
Chandni Bar released.
Tabu in Hera Pheri
Not too much is known about her personal life -
and what a refreshing change that is! Whenever
we see her in interviews, she seems relaxed,
comfortable and in no need for any validation.
She speaks of her fairly exciting life, how yoga is
her fitness mantra and the huge groups of friends
she hangs out with all the time. She effortlessly
says things like "Nothing is stopping me from
marrying, but nothing is pushing me either" and
doesn't seem to concern herself with the petty
things in life. She claims to be addicted to the
internet but isn't on social media. She travels the world, but can't see herself on a backpacking
trip.
With her tall frame, long dark hair and a vivacious
smile, Tabu really seems comfortable in her own
skin. Her clothes seem incidental to her and she's
never trying to make a statement, and I feel
that's the sexiest thing about her - the eerie
sense of understatement.
Tabu in The Namesake
The Namesake (2006) and Life Of Pi (2012) may
be her eminent international projects that she did
complete justice to, but what I can't put into
words is the magic she created in Maqbool (2003)
. If anyone in the industry could have played Lady
Macbeth with the grace she did, it was her alone;
so much so that you feel a sense of strange
nostalgia when you watch her scenes with Irrfan
Khan in Talvar (2015).
Of course, we have to take a moment to talk
about her work in Cheeni Kum (2007) where not
only did she hold her own opposite Amitabh
Bachchan, but also stole the show in some
scenes - and just how many actors can boast of
that? Her last outing Drishyam was much
appreciated, but I have to tell you that I clapped
the loudest for her in Haider... my God!!!
Tabu in Haider
Just wanted to tell you that you're an amazing,
amazing woman :')
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