Happy Birthday Tabu! November 4th marks the talented Indian actress’s day and would be better than taking a trip down her impeccable career, where she made a staggering impact with her unconventional roles. She is known to be one of the most versatile actresses of our times and although the list can go on and on, we have curated some of the roles, which truly changed the cinema.
Tabu’s Groundbreaking Roles
Haider (2014)
The film is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet‘. Following a young man who returns home to Kashmir on receiving news of his father’s disappearance. Not only does he learn that security forces have detained his father for harbouring militants, but that his mother is in a relationship with his very own uncle.
Intense drama follows between mother and son as both struggle to come to terms with the news of their father’s death. Soon Haider learns that his uncle is responsible for the gruesome murder, what follows is his journey to avenge his father’s death.
Tabu plays the character of the stepmother Ghazala, which plays with the different shades of a personality. As a woman who is torn between her idealistic husband, opportunistic brother-in-law and her innocent and passionate son, she pulls off an impactful character.
You can watch this film on Zee5.
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Andhadhun (2018)
This black comedy crime thriller follows a visually impaired pianist, whose world careens into a series of shocking twists after he unintentionally lands at the murder scene of a former film star. Starring Tabu as Simi Sinha, Ayushmann Khurrana as Akash Sarraf, Radhika Apte as Sophie and Anil Dhawan as Pramod Sinha.
Tabu plays the role of the murdered movie star and her charmingly deadly role adds interesting layers to the story. The way she figures out Aakash instantly and the hell that ensues for him, proves her seasoned skill as an actor, as she keeps the audience on the edge till the end with her dubious character.
Watch this film on Netflix.
Cheeni Kum (2007)
Cheeni Kum is a romantic comedy film, in which after an initial disagreement about the quality of his food, London restaurateur Buddhadev Gupta (Amitabh Bachchan) and diner Nina Verma (Tabu) hit it off. Though he’s in his 60s and she’s in her 30s, they’re soon engaged.
When Nina returns to India to assist her ailing father (Paresh Rawal), Buddhadev follows in the hope of impressing her family. But, like Buddhadev’s mother (Zohra Sehgal), the elder Verma objects to the relationship, leaving the lovers in a tough situation. While the actress is known for strong roles, this role might not fall on the grey spectrum but because she plays the character, we get a sorted, strong and mature lead – which tells the audience that love can’t be caged in a tagged box.
Watch this film on Zee5.
The Namesake (2006)
The Namesake depicts the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli (Irrfan Khan and Tabu), first-generation immigrants from the East Indian state of West Bengal to the United States, and their American-born children Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair).
As Ashima Ganguli, she portrays the struggle of an immigrant in a foreign country and how a mother tries to make her children understand the rich culture, which she comes from. The beautiful love story between Ashoke and Ashima also wins our hearts. You can watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.
Astitva (2000)
The film follows Shreekant who has been married for 27 years & is still in love with his attractive wife, Aditi. One day, out of the blue, Aditi finds herself the sole heir to a large property, belonging to a man named Malhar Kamat. Shreekanth is puzzled by this turn of events & closely questions her. What he finds out will shake & devastate the very roots of his existence, and turn his entire family upside down.
Aditi is a woman trying to find an identity outside her marriage and the film talks about various issues such as male chauvinism, extramarital affairs, and spousal abuse. How Aditi reclaims an identity of her own, is impeccably portrayed by the talented actor.
Watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.
Machis (1996)
Maachis is a period political thriller film directed by Gulzar and starring Chandrachur Singh, Om Puri, Tabu and Jimmy Sheirgill. The film portrays the circumstances surrounding the rise of the Sikh insurgency in Punjab in the 1980s. It also won Tabu, her first Best Actress National Award for her portrayal of Virendar Kaur aka Veeran.
The delicate expressions of the actress in the film, will give you goosebumps and make you empathise with the characters. Veeran’s struggle is an apt analogy to draw with the experiences of every woman in Punjab at that time, which will break your heart.
Watch this film on Amazon Prime Video.
Which of the above-mentioned films have you watched? Which one did you like the best? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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