Tabassum Fatima Hashmi (Tabu) Biography: Mastering Acting

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. 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.

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). 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).

Tabassum Fatima Hashmi was born on 4 November 1971 to Jamal Ali Hashmi and Rizwana in a Hyderabadi Muslim family. Her father was an actor in Pakistan, with some well-received roles in the 1970s, who moved back to India in order to live with her mother. He left the family when she was three. Her mother was a school-teacher and her maternal grandparents were retired professors who ran a school. Her grandfather, Mohammed Ahsan, was a professor of mathematics, and her grandmother was a professor of English Literature.

Tabu did her schooling at St. Ann’s High School, Vijayanagar Colony, Hyderabad. She moved to Mumbai in 1983 and studied at St. Xavier’s College for 2 years. She is the niece of Shabana Azmi, Tanvi Azmi and Baba Azmi and the younger sister of actress Farah Naaz. She is reluctant to discuss her personal life in the media.

Tabu’s personal life has been subject to substantial media speculation due to her decision to remain unmarried unlike most of her contemporaries and has remained reticent when asked about her choice. When asked about her decision, Tabu said she “was working and wanted to see the world on my own. If I’d given it all up, it’d have been a disservice to me and my abilities. An ideal relationship is when both individuals grow by being in each other’s lives. Relationships are meant to liberate, not stifle”.

Career (Tabu  Biography)

As a child, Tabu had an uncredited appearance at the age of 11 in Bazaar (1982), and later in Hum Naujawan (1985) at the age of 14; she played Dev Anand’s daughter in the film. Her first role as an actress was in the Telugu film Coolie No.1 (1991) co-starring Venkatesh. In 1987, producer Boney Kapoor launched two major films; Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and Prem, in which Tabu was signed opposite Sanjay Kapoor, Boney’s younger brother.

Tabu’s first release in Hindi as a leading lady was in the romantic drama Pehla Pehla Pyar (1994), which generally went unnoticed. However, a turning point in her career came with action film Vijaypath (1994) opposite Ajay Devgn, for which she received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. The film marked the first of many collaborations with Devgn. In the following year, significant appearances included her role in the box-office success Haqeeqat (1995) and the romantic drama film Saajan Ki Baahon Mein (1995) alongside Rishi Kapoor and Raveena Tandon.

In 1996, Tabu had eight releases, two of which – Saajan Chale Sasural and Jeet – emerged as commercial successes and ranked in the top five films of that year. For the latter, she received her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also seen in the critically acclaimed political thriller Maachis opposite Chandrachur Singh. Her role as a Punjabi woman caught in the rise of Sikh insurgency earned unanimous critical claim; she earned her first National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance, in addition to her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Tabu also starred in a multitude of commercially successful South Indian films, starting with her debut in Telugu cinema with the blockbuster Ninne Pelladata, opposite Nagarjuna. Tabu was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for her performance. Anupama Chopra described her as “breathtakingly sensuous”. This acclaim continued with the Malayalam period epic Kaalapani, directed by Priyadarshan. She also made her debut in Tamil cinema with the successful romantic-drama Kadhal Desam, directed by Kathir.

Tabu’s first release of 1997 was the J. P. Dutta-helmed Border, an ensemble war drama that retells the real-life events surrounding the Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pak War of 1971; she played the role of Sunny Deol’s wife. Though her role in the film was brief, it went on to be the second highest-grossing Indian film of 1997. That year, she also starred in the critically acclaimed action-drama Virasat. The film was a commercial success and Tabu earned the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for her performance in the film, along with her second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She followed this with a role in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil political drama Iruvar, which had an ensemble cast consisting of Mohanlal, Aishwarya Rai, Prakash Raj and Gautami. She also appeared in Chachi 420 (1998).

In 1999, Tabu was seen amongst two successful ensemble films— the comedy Biwi No.1 and the family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain, which went on to become the second highest-grossing, and the highest-grossing films of the year respectively. She also received near-unanimous critical acclaim for her performance in the drama Hu Tu Tu, with Namrata Joshi of India Today describing her as “mesmerising and eloquent”. She won her second Filmfare Best Actress (Critics) Award.

In 2000, Tabu had five releases across different regions. She first starred in the comedy Hera Pheri and the drama Astitva in Hindi. The former was a box-office success, whilst the latter was critically acclaimed. Hindustan Times’ Arnab Banerjee wrote of her performance in the latter: “Tabu is brilliant and once again proves her mettle as an actress. The mind-blowing range of emotions she displays, her exquisite face and her subtle quiet dignity with which she handles her character, will take her far in her film career”. She received her third Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for Astitva, in addition to her fourth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In the south, Tabu had two releases in Tamil and one in Malayalam. Her Tamil releases consisted of the romantic musical Kandukondain Kandukondain, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility, and the mystery thriller Snegithiye. Alongside Mammootty, Ajith Kumar and Aishwarya Rai in the former, helmed by Rajeev Menon, she starred as Sowmya who was based on the character of Elinor Dashwood, Rai’s sagacious older sister. In the latter, directed by Priyadarshan, she portrayed a fiercely independent police officer. Both Kandukondain Kandukondain and Snegithiye earned critical acclaim along with box-office success. Tabu’s Malayalam release, the action thriller Cover Story, placed her opposite Suresh Gopi and received positive feedback from critics.

In 2001, Tabu starred in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Chandni Bar as a bar dancer. She was Bhandarkar’s “first and last” choice for the role. The film, along with Tabu’s performance, received unanimous critical acclaim, and she received her second National Film Award for Best Actress and a fifth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote, “Chandni Bar is Tabu’s film all the way and there are no two opinions on that. Her performance deserves the highest marks and of course, all the awards. Her work is flawless and the impact her character makes on the minds of the viewer is also due to a tailor-made role”. In a similar fashion, Salil Kumar of Rediff.com reviewed, “if there is one actress who can carry a film on her shoulders, it is Tabu. As usual, she sparkles!”

Tabu pictured with co-actor Irrfan Khan for the premiere of The Namesake in 2006

Tabu was seen in numerous Telugu films that emerged box-office successes, such as Coolie No. 1 (1991) and Ninne Pelladutha (1996), with the latter going on to become a cult classic. She further continued to star in films such as Aavida Maa Aavide (1998) with Nagarjuna, Chennakeshava Reddy (2002) and Pandurangadu (2008) with Nandamuri Balakrishna and Andarivaadu (2005) with Chiranjeevi. Following a prolonged hiatus, Tabu returned to Telugu films with the 2008 biographical film, based on the life of Pundarika, Pandurangudu, for which she earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Telugu. The film failed commercially.

In 2003, Tabu starred in an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, titled Maqbool that saw Irrfan Khan in the eponymous role. Based on the character of Lady Macbeth, she played Nimmi, Khan’s manipulative and domineering wife. Helmed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film was the first of his Shakespearean Trilogy and premiered at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. Maqbool was a box-office failure, but was met with acclaim; Tabu’s performance also received unanimous acclaim with critic Ron Ahluwalia writing, “Tabu shines in a dark role. The most versatile actress in Bollywood takes to villainy like second nature. She is menacing and seductive, but keeps an innocent look on her face, making her even viler. The way Tabu delivers her taunts is simply perfect. Her gradual insanity is heart-wrenching and her final outburst is easily the highlight of the film”.

She played the supporting role of a RAW officer in Fanaa (2006), alongside Aamir Khan and Kajol. The film went on to become the sixth highest-grossing film of the year. The same year, she starred in her first Hollywood film The Namesake, directed by Mira Nair. The film was a success overseas, and she received positive reviews for her performance. In 2007, she starred in the romantic comedy Cheeni Kum, in which she played a 34-year-old food critic who falls in love with a sexagenarian chef (played by Amitabh Bachchan). The film received positive reviews from critics; Taran Adarsh praised Tabu for holding her own in the presence of Bachchan. Though the film was moderately successful in the domestic market, it performed well, particularly in the UK and US. She acquired a record-setting fourth Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for her performance in the film.

Following a short hiatus, Tabu starred as a clever middle-class woman in the romantic comedy Toh Baat Pakki!. The film was panned by critics with Raja Sen of Rediff.com describing it as a “bland, preposterously dated ‘comedy'”, and added that Tabu’s poorly written character hindered her performance. She next starred opposite Sunny Deol in the unremarkable Khuda Kasam. This was followed by her return to Malayalam cinema in 2011 with a song appearance in the multi-starrer Urumi, directed by Santosh Sivan. Neither of Tabu’s 2010 releases as a lead fared well commercially or critically. Tabu had also completed filming for B. R. Chopra’s Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai, however, the film was indefinitely shelved due to plagiarism issues. In 2012, she featured in her second Hollywood film, Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee; she played a supporting role as the mother of the protagonist. A.O. Scott of The New York Times described her limited screen time as “excellent”. Her sole release of 2013 was in Bejoy Nambiar’s Hindi-Tamil bilingual crime thriller David co-starring Vikram and Neil Nitin Mukesh; the film failed at the box-office.

Tabu at a press conference for Life of Pi in 2012

Keen to portray light-hearted roles and break away from her usual sombre characters, Tabu returned to commercial cinema with the Salman Khan-starrer Jai Ho (2014), a remake of the Telugu film Stalin. Despite being six years younger than Khan, she played the role of his elder sister. The film was subject to divergent reception from critics but was successful commercially. Following this, she reunited with Bhardwaj for his film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, titled Haider. The film completed Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean Trilogy that previously featured Tabu in Maqbool. Initially hesitant on playing a mother to Kapoor, Tabu rejected the role, prompting Bhardwaj to stress the character’s importance to the plot which ultimately convinced her. In the adaptation, she portrayed the role of Ghazala Meer, based on Gertrude, to Shahid Kapoor’s Haider (Hamlet). Haider emerged a major critical and commercial success with unanimous acclaim for Tabu’s performance. The New York Times’ Rachel Saltz joked that the film should have been titled Ghazala, rather than Haider. She earned the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. This critical acclaim was sustained with her next venture, Drishyam (2015) as a police officer investigating her the case of her son’s murder. The film, directed by Nishikant Kamat, was a remake of the acclaimed Malayalam film of the same name. She earned her third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. This was followed by a cameo appearance in Meghna Gulzar’s directorial Talvar.

Tabu then starred in Abhishek Kapoor’s romantic drama Fitoor (2016), an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, opposite Aditya Roy Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. She essayed the role of Begum Hazrat which was based on the character of Miss Havisham. Though critics were generally ambivalent towards the film and it underperformed commercially, her performance was considered a highlight. Saltz of The New York Times noted that Tabu’s performance wasn’t her “finest” in comparison to those in her other English tragedies, but added that “with her great tragedienne’s face she can express loss with just a gaze”. Breaking from her pattern of pensive cinema, in 2017 Tabu starred in the fourth edition of Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal (film series), Golmaal Again. She expressed her admiration for Shetty’s work as the key reason for her return to comedy. Her portrayal of a ghostbuster drew praise from critics with The Indian Express‘ Shubhra Gupta writing that “her inclusion to the film is an unexpected pleasure”. Golmaal Again became one of the highest-grossing Indian films of the year. Her first release of 2018 was Mukul Abhyankar’s thriller, Missing, opposite Manoj Bajpai. In the film, Tabu lent her vocals for the film’s only song, “So Ja Re”. Despite her portrayal of a investigative mother who attempts to locate her daughter’s kidnappers being praised, the film underperformed at the box-office. She followed this with a cameo appearance in Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic Sanju, starring Ranbir Kapoor. Tabu labelled her scene in the film as her “Truman Show moment”, as she recreated the moment she presented Sanjay Dutt the award for Best Actor in a Comic Role at the 49th Filmfare Awards in 2004.

A key turning point in her career came with Sriram Raghavan’s crime thriller Andhadhun, which saw her as the parallel lead to Ayushmann Khurrana. The film, along with her performance, received unanimous critical acclaim. Critic Rajeev Masand commended Tabu, describing her as “the film’s towering performance”. With a gross of over ₹457 crore (US$64.9 million), the film emerged one of the highest-grossing Indian films and earned her a sixth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and fifth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics). In 2019, she starred in Akiv Ali’s romantic comedy, De De Pyaar De as Devgn’s ex-wife, who disapproves of his new relationship with a younger woman (Rakul Preet Singh). Despite otherwise disliking the film, Rediff.com‘s Sukanya Verma described the film as “watchable” due solely to Tabu’s presence, adding that “everything about her feels right”. She then played a supporting role as Salman Khan’s missing younger sister in Ali Abbas Zafar’s drama Bharat, also featuring her Fitoor co-star Kaif.

Tabu began the new decade with her return to Telugu films after over a decade with Trivikram Srivas’s Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo as Allu Arjun’s mother. The film went on to become the second highest grossing Indian film of 2020 and Tabu’s performance received praised, earning her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Telugu. She followed this with both her television and streaming debut as a ghazal singer who engages in a relationship with a younger man in Nair’s A Suitable Boy, based on Vikram Seth’s 1993 novel of the same name. The series marked the first BBC period-drama series to have a non-white cast. It received mixed reviews from critics, however, Tabu’s performance was better-received with NDTV‘s Saibal Chatterjee writing that her “bewitching interpretation of the culture that Saeeda Begum represents is made all the more hypnotic by Kavita Seth’s soulful rendition of Dagh, Ghalib and Ameer Minai”. She was then seen in a special appearance opposite Saif Ali Khan, two decades after Hum Saath-Saath Hain, in the comedy drama Jawaani Jaaneman, also starring Alaya F. The film emerged a moderate commercial success, though Film Companion‘s Prathyush Parasuraman dismissed Tabu as “wasted”.

Tabu at an event in 2020

In her first release of 2022, she received critical acclaim for her dual role in the Kartik Aaryan-led horror comedy sequel Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. She found the experience of the dual role especially challenging as she had to portray the characters in multiple time periods. Writing for Hindustan Times, Monika Rawal Kukreja thought Tabu “stole the show” but considered her inferior to Vidya Balan in the predecessor. Her performance in the film earned her a seventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and a record-setting fifth Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics). Later that year, she reprised her role in the sequel Drishyam 2, directed by Abhishek Pathak. Archika Khurana of The Times of India described Tabu as “simply outstanding”, while The Wire‘s Tanul Thakur found her “at best, forgettable”. Regardless, the film received both critical and commercial acclaim, emerging as one of the highest grossing in her career.

2023 saw Tabu portray a government official thrice in Kuttey, Bholaa and Khufiya. In Kuttey, helmed by Bhardwaj, she played a police officer alongside Arjun Kapoor. Though a box-office bomb, her performance was praised, with NDTV’s Chatterjee describing it as “unblemished”. Once again as a police officer, Tabu starred opposite Devgn in the action thriller Bholaa, which he also directed. The film underperformed at the box-office. In the lattermost, she reunited with Bhardwaj for a fifth time in his spy thriller as an operative of an intelligence agency alongside Ali Fazal and Wamiqa Gabbi. Released on Netflix, the film received ambivalent feedback from critics. Anuj Kumar of The Hindu was appreciative of Tabu’s consistent performances in Bhardwaj’s projects but thought that she had been overshadowed by Gabbi.

In 2024, Tabu starred alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon in the female-led heist comedy Crew, in which the trio played flight attendants. In preparation, they received training from former cabin crew members. Outlook‘s Garima Das thought that Tabu was the standout among the trio. The film emerged a commercial success.Later in the year, she reunited with Devgn for the tenth time in Neeraj Pandey’s Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha.The film met with negative reviews from the critics who called the film “out-dated” with predictable storyline.

Tabu is set to play a recurring role in the Dune franchise prequel series Dune: Prophecy.

Tabu is among the most accomplished actresses in Hindi cinema, known for her work in both mainstream and independent cinema. India Today noted that her “uncontrived freshness” and “mobile face” has become a Bollywood favourite, while her performances speak of “a considerable range”. Filmfare noted, “When you find her name on the credit list of a movie, expectations automatically shoot up”. Forbes noted that Tabu portrayed “strong women-oriented characters” much before such roles started being called “game-changers”. Vogue noted that Tabu has delivered “non-stop stellar and heart-swooning performances”. Eastern Eye termed her a “versatile performer” and said, “Tabu is regularly called upon to add weight to commercial blockbusters”.

Members of the Indian film industry have often commented on Tabu’s beauty and talent. Lyricist Gulzar hailed Tabu as “the beginning of a new era” and “a thinking actress in the mould of Nargis, Nutan and Meena Kumari”. For filmmaker Karan Johar, Tabu is “truly the country’s greatest actor”, as well as “versatile”, “adaptive” and “timeless”.

Known to be selective about her film roles, Tabu once said, “I do films which move me and most of all, the unit and the director should appeal to me”. In 2019, at the 17th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles she was honoured with “Opening Night Tribute”. In 2019, Film Companion ranked Tabu’s performance in Haider and Andhadhun among the 100 Greatest Performances of the Decade. India Today named her in their “Top Bollywood Actresses” list. She was placed in Filmfare‘s “Top Ten Actresses” of 2003. In Rediff.com‘s “Top Ten Actresses” list, she ranked 9th in 2007. She topped the list in 2014 and 2018. In 1998, Tabu received the Smita Patil Memorial Award for Best Actress, for her contribution to Indian cinema. Forbes India included Tabu in its “50 Showstoppers” list of 2022.

In 1998, Tabu was charged with poaching two blackbucks on the outskirts of Kankani village in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan during the filming of Hum Saath Saath Hain along with co-stars Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre and Neelam Kothari. A lower court charged her with the others under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the IPC. She had filed a revision petition before a sessions court which discharged her of Section 51 (causing harm to wildlife) of Wildlife Act and both of 147 (punishment for rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly of persons) of the Indian Penal Code. The Rajasthan State Government then filed a revision petition before the Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur which again added Section 149 against her, which had been dropped earlier. In December 2012, the Jodhpur court summoned her along with all the accused for commencement of the trial with the revised charges on 4 February 2013. Although Tabu was acquitted in the blackbuck poaching case on 5 April 2018, the Rajasthan High Court issued her with a notice, challenging her acquittal on 11 March 2019.

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is a non-profit organization founded in 2006. It is based in New York City and is dedicated to supporting work by and about women in the film industry.

The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to members of Asian cinema.

The Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television.

The Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards were founded by the oldest Association of Film critics in 1937. It is one of the most prestigious awards held in India.

The BIG Star Entertainment Awards is an annual event organised by the Reliance Broadcast Network.

The Bollywood Movie Awards were presented annually by The Bollywood Group beginning in 1999. They were discontinued after 2007.

Established in 1954, the Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to members of the Hindi film industry.

The Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films.

The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is an annual Indian film festival based in Melbourne, Australia. It is presented by Film Victoria and the State Government of Victoria, and produced by Mind Blowing Films, a Melbourne-based distributor of Indian cinema across Australia and New Zealand.

The International Indian Film Academy Awards (shortened as IIFA) is an annual international event organised by the Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. to honour excellence in the Hindi cinema.

National Film Awards

The National Film Awards are awarded by the Government of India’s Directorate of Film Festivals division for achievements in the Indian film industry. Tabu has received two awards.

The Producers Guild Film Awards (previously knows as Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards) is an annual event originated by the Film Producers Guild of India to recognize excellence in Indian film and television.

The Screen Awards are presented annually by Indian Express Limited to honour excellence in Hindi and Marathi cinema.

The Stardust Awards are an annual event organised by Magna Publishing Company Limited.

The Zee Cine Awards is an annual award ceremony organised by the Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

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