A heady combination of beauty, brains and talent, Tabu makes quite a toast for the leading actresses of her generation.
Her tryst with showbiz started as a gawky kid in Dev Anand's Hum Naujawan in the mid Eighties. Soon after, Tabu disappeared only to resurface in the much-hyped and delayed Prem opposite Sanjay Kapoor.
The film took ages to releases. An exasperated Tabu couldn't wait any longer and signed cinematographer-turned-director Manmohan Singh's remake of Roman Holiday -- Pehla Pehla Pyaar. Neither Prem nor Pehla Pehla Pyaar sustained.
To add to her woes, critics ridiculed her height and dialogue delivery. Enter Vijaypath and Tabu's dancing in the chartbuster Ruk, ruk, ruk became a rage. An impressive cameo of a prostitute in ex-beau Sajid Nadiadwala's Jeet followed.
But what really turned the tide in Tabu's favour was Gulzar's Maachis. Critics and masses alike lauded her fine performance.
Tabu had matured into a serious, graceful artiste. Unbothered by the length of her role, quality has always preceded quantity for Tabu. Be it a bit role in J P Dutta's Border, Mani Ratnam's Anandam or Kamal Haasan's Chachi 420, her versatility was on display.
In her attempt to create a balance between parallel and mainstream cinema, for every Viraasat and Astitva there has been a Saajan Chale Sasural and Biwi No 1.
Unlike most actresses, Tabu is quite adventurous in her choice of roles and filmmakers. She has no qualms working with newcomers like Madhur Bhandarkar [director of Chandni Bar] or Sachin Khedekar [her costar in Astitva], Atul Kulkarni [her costar in Chandni Bar], Chandrachur Singh [her costar in Maachis].
A creative person, Tabu writes to pen her thoughts in the form of short stories, poems or anecdotes.
For after all, art comes from the heart.
Here's more on the sensitive actress.
