Born on November 4, 1971, at Kolkata Tabu started her acting career as a child artist in 1980 film Baazar. Being niece of super talented Shabana Azmi, it was no surprise that acting ran in her veins and she was attracted towards acting profession. After doing small appearances in films, she got her big break when she was cast opposite to Ajay Devgn in 1994 film Vijaypath.
Since then, Tabu has carved a niche for herself as a versatile actress who knows how to balance between commercial and cerebral cinema. As the Haider star turns 43 today, we bring you five best films from Tabu’s two decade long illustrious career:
Maachis
Just at the start of her career, Tabu had the courage to work on an offbeat film like Maachis which dealt with the serious subject of insurgency as an aftermath of operation Blue Star. Tabu won the National Award for Best actress for her electrifying performance in Maachis.
Astitva
In the year 2000, Tabu gave yet another award winning performance for her role of Aditi Pandit, a housewife who suddenly inherits a huge sum of money from unknown source. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Critics award for her performance in Astitva. Her portrayal of a confident housewife won her a lot of respect in the world of artistic cinema.
In 2001, director Madhur Bhandarkar rose to fame for his hard hitting film Chandini Bar starring Tabu in the lead. Tabu boldly played a bar dancer in the film who gets caught in the prostitution web, as the film gives us an inside view into the world of crime. Tabu won her second National Award for Chandini Bar.
Before Haider, Tabu collaborated with Vishal Bhardwaj for Maqbool , which was a Shakespearean adaptation of Macbeth. Tabu reprised the role of lady Macbeth with such panache that she gave seasoned actors like Naseerudin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Irrfan Khan a run for their money.
Vishal Bharadwaj’s Haider was promoted as a Shahid Kapoor film. But those who saw the film will certainly agree that Tabu’s performance, if not overshadows but certainly matches to that of Shahid’s. The incredibly talented actress gave a nuanced performance as Ghazala Meer, a woman torn between her love for her son and her want to lead a happy life. In a film teeming with stalwarts like Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon, Tabu managed to steal the show with her expressive face portraying the conflict of the character beautifully.
Tabu has acted in numerous great films and it would be wrong if we don’t give a special mention to films like Hu Tu Tu and Virasaat which marks fine performances from the talented actress. We wish Tabu a very happy birthday and hope she continues to impress us with her acting prowess in years to come.