“Never let stardom get bigger than you!”

 

Tabu or “Tabuitiful” as she calls herself on Instagram, is one of those few genuine people you will find in the industry. Yes, she giggles and laughs at the drop of the hat, but even that’s infectious. Currently playing the second innings of her career with an élan that only she is capable of… how does she manages to steer the storms so effortlessly, asks Shubarna Mukerji Shu of Bollywood Insider.

The plush room of a suburban five-star hotel, might be comfortable and even opulent, but nothing is as warm as the smile Tabu gives you when she sees you. The twinkle in her eye, is always privy to some joke making you wonder if you must know. Given the kind of cinema she has been part of, you assume certain things about her as a person. The most common assumption being, you will find a quiet, serious girl who should be asked only serious things. But if movies are your barometer, Tabu has done an about- turn recently, telling us that she can be full of Golmaal and can give a lot of Pyar, like in her latest release De De Pyar De. We at Bollywood Insider believe in knowing the lady not just the star, so we decided to dig beneath the surface… and here’s what we found.

What have been your expectations from De De Pyar De?

When I heard the script, I thought it was extremely entertaining and very enjoyable. When you hear about a two heroine one hero film, the first thing you picture is a cat-fight between them. De De Pyar De is definitely not about two women vying for a man. It’s not making fun or humoring everything.

      Every character in the film is dealing with real issues. Their struggles or conflicts aren’t trivialised. If he is in love with a girl in his mid-40s, it’s genuine. He is going through his own conflicts. My character’s journey after getting separated has also been shown. Every relationship is highlighted and given due space. There is seriousness and maturity also. That’s the beauty of the film. The film has already got a lot of appreciation from all quarters, it is bound to do well.

It has been many years since you paired with Ajay Devgn, though you all have made some superhit films together like Drishyam, Golmaal Again and so on… tell us how he has changed with each of these films?

Do you see any change in him, because I certainly don’t! It is really shocking how anyone can look and behave exactly how he did when I first met him. He is unfazed by all that’s happening around him. It is like he is frozen in time…

        It is fantastic working with him each and every time. In Drishyam we were locking horns but it was still enjoyable. Golmaal too was a riot but yes, it is the first time after many years we are paired together. Everyone says that we have very god chemistry, and I would like to believe they are right. Ajay is such a fabulous actor, he doesn’t overdo the getting into character etc, but once he is on camera, he simply morphs. I get amazed every time I see him perform.

Did you know that you were the first and the only choice for Manju’s role? When you become irreplaceable, isn’t there a kind of pressure on you?

Well, to tell you the truth, I always tell myself that I am going to get replaced eventually. It helps keep me on my toes. Yes, it is lovely to hear that they didn’t want anyone but me to play Manju in the film, I frankly cannot put into words how heartwarming that feeling is. But one must never let it go to your head.

You know for someone who we aligned with films like Haider, Chandani Bar…. Seeing you do lighter films, comedies as well is nice!

I might have received the most acclaim from the films that you mentioned but I have been one of those actors who didn’t restrict herself to one genre. I have always experimented. For every Chandani Bar I did Hum Saath Saath Hai, for every Maqbool I did a Saajan Chale Sasural. Each of the films found success at the box office. I would like to believe I am one of those few actors who has been appreciated across genres.

          Of course, there are some films which are not meant for posterity, so years down the line people won’t remember it, hence I am remembered more for some films and not so much for others.     

                                   As for comedies, I have always loved that genre so it is nice to get a chance to do more on that front.

 

How much did the fate of the film Fitoor change your choices? Everyone was expecting a lot from Fitoor, when such elaborately publicized, celebrated films fail how do you cope with that?

Of course it feels bad, a little for yourself and a lot of those other people who were associated with it financially. See, as an actor we usually get the perks but not the brickbats, if this Friday our film flops, there will be another Friday when we might have a hit. We don’t lose too much from our failures. Whereas the producers and distributors, they really suffer. So, while I do feel sad that all the hard work didn’t amount to success, I cannot even for a second forget that there are others who suffered more.

True for every Fitoor, you have had an Andhadhun!

Can you believe this, the film went to China and created a frenzy! The screening was an astounding success. I so wanted to be there for the screening, because I have never really had the chance to go to China but Sriram (Raghavan) and I were in Los Angeles at that time. Really overwhelming, the kind of response that film has garnered from all corners of the world.

Social analysists say it is this extreme highs and lows in an actor’s life that often make them prone to health issues, what’s your take on it?

You know, acting is a profession. Stardom is a lifestyle. One has to act, but not let stardom get to you. The highs and lows of the profession doesn’t disturb the actor’s acting prowess, it unsettles his stardom. If you let your stardom get bigger than you, you are bound to falter.

The most important thing here is to surround yourself with people who are not with you because of your stardom, people who enjoy the real you, who party with you and not with the hope of getting onto page three. If you can tell the difference, you are sorted.

Do you ever think this business of movies will tire you out?

As long as it happens like that it is ok, I wouldn’t want movies to get tired of me. Movies have been a part of me even when I was a child. I cannot think beyond them, if I am not acting, I am certainly watching something or the other. I am almost addicted to watching these web series. So, I don’t think I cannot remove movies from my being. All I can do is hope while I am around, I still get movies to act in, movies to play a part in….that will be good enough.

You just mentioned web series, have you considered acting in any?

If something great comes my way I will do it. Medium doesn’t matter, length of the role doesn’t matter – I have always been drawn toward work that excites me and believe me, web series are exciting. The fact that they don’t have censorship, the sky's the limit for them. They can go completely berserk with scripts and their writing styles, which is a dream for any creative person. Of course, it will be exciting to do something online, but I don’t want to get into it with a calculative mind, I want to plunge into it because the script drew me to it. Till that doesn’t happen, I will wait….