Flying Solo

Awards, accolades and the trappings of fame aside, Tabu leads her life — both on and off the screen — on no one’s terms but her own. The critically-acclaimed actor and lone ranger continues to tread a unique path that leads the way for other independent women. Shraddha Jahagirdar-Saxena meets the insightful star on the eve of her latest cinematic offering, Andhadhun.

If her fans had to encapsulate their admiration for her in one sentence, they would probably be quoting Shakespeare’s, ‘age cannot wither her nor custom stale her infinite variety’. This is because she tends to step into the shoes of strong characters whose psyches reflect complexities that I too find fascinating. Consummate artiste that she is, Tabu has consistently held my interest, even though her silver screen outings — especially in recent years — have been few and far between. my respect for the 46-year-old actor, who has tried her hand at masala and offbeat indie films, has sustained over every revisit to her work, each movie reinforcing how well she brings her diverse avatars to life. Some of her most memorable roles include the strong yet vulnerable software professional Neena Verma (Cheeni Kum, 2007), the resilient immigrant housewife Ashima Ganguly (The Namesake, 2006), the tragic nautch girl Mumtaz Ali Ansari (Chandni Bar, 2001), the passionate mother Ghazala meer (Haider, 2014) and the tough cop with a soft heart Meera Deshmukh (Drishyam, 2015).

Tabu is content in her own space — one that lets her speak in her own voice, do the work she wants to and live life on her own terms. She seems to have, through her hits and misses, created her personal ecosystem, one that does not try to change the essence of the woman she is. and though I myself, as a writer and editor, have largely found my so-called comfort zone and am often willing to step out of it for risks I want to take, I envy her ability to walk her talk and be completely free.