Tabu (actress)

Tabu
Tabu in 2024
Born
Tabassum Fatima Hashmi

(1971-11-04) 4 November 1971 (age 53)
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
OccupationActress
Years active1985–present
WorksFull list
RelativesSee Azmi family
AwardsFull list
HonoursPadma Shri (2011)

Tabassum Fatima Hashmi (born 4 November 1971), known professionally as Tabu, is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of the most accomplished actresses in Hindi cinema, and has often played troubled women, from fictional to literary, in both mainstream and independent cinema.[1][2][3] She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards, seven Filmfare Awards (including a record five Critics Awards for Best Actress), and two Filmfare Awards South. In 2011, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian honour.[4]

Tabu had her first credited role as a teenager in Dev Anand's Hum Naujawan (1985) and played her first leading role in the Telugu film Coolie No. 1 (1991). In 1994, she received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for the Hindi action drama Vijaypath. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for playing a young woman affected by the Punjab insurgency in the political thriller Maachis (1996).[5][6] Also in 1996, she had commercial successes in Ninne Pelladata, Kadhal Desam, Saajan Chale Sasural and Jeet. Further box-office hits came with the dramas Iruvar, Border (both 1997), Biwi No.1, Hum Saath-Saath Hain (both 1999), Kandukondain Kandukondain, and Hera Pheri (both 2000).

Tabu gained acclaim for portraying troubled women in Virasat (1997), Hu Tu Tu (1999), and Astitva (2000), all of which won her Filmfare Critics Awards; and as a bar dancer in Chandni Bar (2001) which earned her a second National Film Award. This acclaim continued with her roles in the romantic comedy Cheeni Kum (2007) which earned her a record fourth Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress, and the Vishal Bhardwaj-directed Shakespearean tragedies—Maqbool (2004) and Haider (2014), the latter earning her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Tabu expanded to American cinema with The Namesake (2006) and Life of Pi (2012). Her biggest commercial successes in India came with the comedies Golmaal Again (2017), Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022) and Crew (2024), the action drama Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), and the crime thrillers Andhadhun (2018) and Drishyam 2 (2022).

  1. ^ Banerjee, Arnab (5 June 2007). "Tabu: making understatement an art". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
  2. ^ Satija, Garima (3 February 2020). "With A Plethora Of Bold Roles & Stellar Acting, It's Time B-Town Addresses Tabu As 'Superstar'". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  3. ^ Biswas, Sushmita (13 September 2015). "An offbeat act". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  4. ^ Padma Awards Announced Archived 16 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Ministry of Home Affairs. 25 January 2011
  5. ^ Bose, Derek (19 July 2009). "Cut above the rest". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  6. ^ "44th National Film Awards – 1997". Directorate of Film Festivals. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2012.