Unfiltered Tabu

Tabu loves a good conversation, and more than that, she loves a good laugh. The actress, who is counted among one of the finest in the country, admits that people have been often been pleasantly surprised by her sense of humour. But she rues the fact that these days, she has to censor herself when she talks, lest people take it in the wrong way. “We have become so unnatural in our self-expression. I like doing interviews where something fun comes up. Now, if that’s going to be misconstrued and highlighted, how does one talk?” she questions. A great sense of humour apart, the other things our March cover girl has in abundance are spontaneity and oodles of talent. It is difficult to pick her best performance – there are so many to choose from! From Maachis to Maqbool, Virasat to Haider, and Astitva to Andhadhun, this powerhouse performer has only gone from strength to strength. Last year, she made her digital debut with A Suitable Boy, playing the beautiful courtesan Saeeda Bai. The National Award-winning actress sat down with TMM for a quick chat about her work and the projects she would love to be a part of. Was there a lot of fun banter? Oh yes, but we decided to censor some of it!

- Deepali Singh

Did you read a lot of scripts during the lockdown?

Oh ya! I hadn’t read so many scripts even preCOVID. I think everybody was doing what they could do from home. This was the prep in a way, listening to projects so you can start off once everything goes back to normal.

You must come across so many people who appreciate your work and pay you compliments. How good are you dealing with compliments?

I feel happy. I don’t think there is anyone who doesn’t feel happy receiving a compliment. I get overwhelmed and overjoyed and I feel shy. I feel tremendous gratitude for the person complimenting me because I think it’s a wonderful thing to receive appreciation for your work. You want to continue doing good work and you feel you have touched somebody’s heart or you helped them experience something they have liked and that’s why they are complimenting you.

You are the recipient of so many awards, including National Awards and are counted among our finest actresses. When you are reading and choosing a script, do you think of all the responsibility that comes with your experience?