Over the years, several Indian actresses have broken many stereotypical thoughts with their women-centric roles on screen. Be it Zeenat Aman breaking the demure image of a woman by playing bold roles or Shabana Azmi addressing women’s empowerment and feminism, these actresses have always been an inspiration.
One such actress is Tabassum Fatima Hashmi, popularly known as Tabu, who is hailed for her unconventional roles in Hindi cinema. Be it playing a bar dancer in Chandni Bar or a suicide bomber in Maachis, Tabu has always chosen exceptional roles and carved her own path. Do you know that she is the niece of Shabana Azmi or the sister of a popular 80s actress? Well, there are many unknown aspects about Tabu, and in this article, we will delve into many details about her life.
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Tabu was born into a Hyderabadi Muslim family on November 4, 1971. Her father, Jamal Ali Hashmi, was an actor in Pakistan who subsequently moved to India. Tabu was just three when her father left the family, and she was single-handedly raised by her mother, Rizwana. Tabu has an elder sister, Farah Naaz, who was a leading Bollywood actress in the mid-1980s and 1990s.
Not only this but Tabu is also related to Shabana Azmi as her mother, Rizwana, is Shabana’s cousin. Tabu did her initial schooling in Hyderabad, later moved to Mumbai, and graduated from St. Xavier’s College.
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Tabu was raised by her grandparents as her parents got divorced when she was very young. The actress had never used her father’s surname along with her name. In an interaction with Simi Garewal, on her show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, Tabu spoke about the same and said:
“I never really used it, I never thought it was important for me to use my father’s surname, it was always Tabassum Fatima, which was my middle name. In school, Fatima was my surname. I have no memories of him. My sister has met him on occasion, but I have never really felt like meeting him. I am not curious about him, I am happy the way I am, the way I have grown up. I am very settled in my own life.”
Tabu is one of the most accomplished actresses in mainstream and independent cinema. She began her acting career with an uncredited appearance at the age of 11 in the film, Bazaar, and later, she played Dev Anand’s daughter in Hum Naujawan at the age of 14. Tabu rose to prominence with the film, Vijaypath in 1994, and since then, there has been no looking back for her.
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Not just in Hindi, Tabu has weaved her magic in regional cinema as well with films like Ninne Pelladata, Kaalapani, Kadhal Desam, Iruvar, and many others. Tabu has always been hailed for choosing out-of-the-box roles, and some of her commercially hit films include Prem, Haqeeqat, Himmat, Jeet, Maqbool, The Namesake, Cheeni Kum, Haider, and a few others. The stunning actress has won the National Film Award twice for Maachis and Chandni Bar.
In a career spanning more than four decades, Tabu’s name has been linked with many celebs. The first serious affair in Tabu’s life was with actor, Sanjay Kapoor. The duo started dating during the shooting of their film, Prem but parted ways after a short period.
The next man who entered Tabu’s life was director-producer, Sajid Nadiadwala. Tabu and Sajid have always been good friends, but their relationship blossomed only while working together on the film, Jeet. But Sajid hesitated to commit to Tabu because he still had feelings for his wife, the late Divya Bharti.
While talking about Tabu’s linkups, the one name that strikes everyone’s mind is the popular South Indian actor, Akkineni Nagarjuna. Tabu’s affair with Nagarjuna raised many eyebrows as he was already married to actress, Amala while dating Tabu. Tabu wanted a stable relationship and Nagarjuna couldn’t commit to her as he was already married twice.
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After ten years of relationship, Tabu and Nagarjuna parted ways, and it was very painful for the actress. Once in an interview with The Times of India, Nagarjuna spoke about his relationship with Tabu and revealed that his face lit up with a mere mention of her name. He also stated that Tabu is one of his closest friends and will always remain the same.
Tabu shares a special bond with Ajay Devgn as they grew up together in the same neighbourhood. She blames him for her singlehood as he used to bully any guy, who would talk to her. Remembering their old days, in a 2017 interview with the Mumbai Mirror, Tabu said:
"Yes, Ajay and I have known each other for 25 years. He was my cousin Sameer Arya’s neighbour and close buddy, a part of my growing up years and that has laid the foundation of our relationship. When I was young, Sameer and Ajay would spy on me, follow me around and threaten to beat up any boys who are caught talking to me. They were the big bullies and if I am single today, it is because of Ajay. I hope he repents and regrets what he did."
Tabu never openly talked about her personal life as she likes to keep it away from the limelight. Despite the many reported linkups and affairs, Tabu is still single and is not looking for a relationship to settle down in life. She believes in equality in a relationship and to be in one, the actress is not ready to sacrifice anything in her life.
Tabu comes from a broken family, but that doesn’t stop her from believing in the institution of marriage. Like every woman, she too has an urge to be a mother, but the actress, in an interview with Filmfare, clearly stated that she doesn’t want a kid out of wedlock. Citing the reason behind the same, she shared:
“Fortunately or unfortunately we're part of a system and I don’t wish to fight it and have a baby. Yes, sometimes the desire for motherhood supersedes the desire to get married. But the sensible and rational part in me silences that. I’ve nothing against having a child out of wedlock; I don’t see any wrong in it. No one can stop me if I wish to have a child of wedlock. But I don’t wish to deprive the child of both the parents deliberately, from the word go."
Tabu is the pride of Indian cinema. Like a fine wine, the actress gets better with age. More than her out-of-the-box roles, it is her unconventional beliefs that make her an inspiration to many.
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