TABU - TRAPPED, AND HOW
Once thought to be down for the count, Tabu surprised everyone by popping up as a leading lady in what promised to be the hottest movies in recent times. Now here she is sitting in an air- conditioned van, doing up her hair and touching up the make-up in preparation of the next shot. 'Hello!' she turns and greets you with just the right degree of distance. The best thing about Tabu is, if she doesn't pretend to be your immediate best friend, then neither does she affect an annoying worldweary aloofness. And that classically comely mug? Well, there are moments, you note, when Tabu reminds you of a star of the old world. Ethereal and elegant. Although she is not a sex symbol, she has a different kind of beauty Ñstrong features no longer based on the concept of heartshaped mouth, on the tiny nose. She has a real face which betrays a real woman.One has felt that there is something sympathetic and solid about this tall, stunning girl. She's different from other film stars. Here is a wise woman, who has known life, who understands human failings, who understands herself. Women film stars are shy, insecure when they are away from their audiences and confronting real people. Tabu is no exception, but her manner betrays a depth, a freshness of feelings.
Today, however, more than her beauty, what has made her special is her capability as an actress. People are beginning to see beyond the fragile beauty to the potential of her talent. It took inventive makers like Priyadarshan and Gulzar to bring out the best in her. According to them, she's a complete delight to work with Ñ 'She's so keen on learning, yet quietly and without fanfare goes about her craft' Ñthey say. She's fully tuned-in, extremely committed. It's the work that drives her as well as the desire to work with the really creative people today. She wants to get to that place where she can call herself a true artiste. And she's almost made it there with high-octane performances in her recent releases. She stood out as the aggrieved, young Malayalee girl whose husband is taken away by British soldiers on their wedding night in Sazaa-e-Kaalapani. And she eclipsed almost everyone in Maachis with a sensitive performance as the sweetheart of a young militant in strifetorn Punjab. To get the kind of effect she did, to make the audience move with her, that's what it's all about for an actress of her calibre. There's more to follow in talked-about films like Mani Rathnam's Anandam, where she's pitted against the likes of Mohanlal and Aishwarya Rai, and the offbeat Darmiyaan, Kalpana Lajmi's real life saga based on the traumatic life of a eunuch.
In this tete-a-tete, we examine the reasons behind Tabu's passion for her art, why she is more than just a piece of woodwork and why she could possibly be the next hot thing to hit Bollywood. Recently, audiences and critics got an unexpected but pleasurable jolt from Tabu's vivid portrayals of the offbeat kind in Sazaa-e-... and Maachis. She was universally acclaimed as scene stealer and critics predicted that she would soon be in major demand in such roles. How does she feel projecting this image of an actress intent on doing the unconventional roles? "The accolades are definitely welcome and I enjoyed doing these films. But I wouldn't want to give an impression of restricting myself to serious cinema in the wake of these films. I don't know why everyone seems to think that I've abandoned mainstream cinema for good. I get petrified by the kind of questions they ask me about the trigonometry of serious cinema, the technique, the approach and the attitude relating to offbeat roles. By just doing two films of this sort, I needn't be considered an authority on the subject. And I have no intentions of forsaking regular commercial fare in favour of something totally arty-arty. To me, work is a challenge and it's where I put my energies. Getting into the skin of different characters is my job, and making them appear lifelike is the challenge. That's the answer to all the questions relating to the mystique of this craft. There's no other technique to it."
She really has grown into this career and moved on from the effortless roles to the most intense, which is a wonderful thing. But the commercial success of a film is seemingly more important than anything else. How does she feel when that eludes her? lt's not success that matters all the time. Sometimes you feel honoured being cast in a film which enhances your prestige as an artiste the film in question, Kaalapani, did fabulous business down South. Besides, it won 4 National and 11 State level awards. So I wasn't overly concerned about the lukewarm response it received here. I guess I was gratified by the experience of working with a director like Priyadarshan and a co- star like Mohanlal in an unusual film like this. I still have to come across an actor of Mohanlal's calibre. How I wish that I could act as effortlessly as him." Why, wasn't she satisfied with her own performance in the film? "I was," says she emphatically, "because I could easily relate to the character."
Her portrayal of a Punjabi girl in Maachis appeared quite authentic too. But the film somehow failed to set the box office on fire. "Sometimes I feel I'm supposed to be defending myself,"she says coolly. "Well, you can't please everybody and that's not what I'm here to do. I think my performance was good and I was as surprised as anyone else that it won me the maximum accolades ever. It made me feel that I have the potential to be a good actress. For me, now, it's a matter of fulfilling the potential I have inside."
But while trying to fulfil the potential, films like Saajan Chale Sasural and Jeet are still very much a part of her resume, films which hardly won her any notices. She puckers her brow and says, "I can't expect every film to have a pivotal role for me. Saajan Chale..wasn't based on me. It had a fair smattering of brilliant talent, viz., David Dhawan, Govinda, Karisma Kapoor. Being a hit that it was, I was obviously proud of the film, whatever be my involvement. In Jeet I had a guest appearance, so you couldn't expect the role to develop beyond a certain limit. As far as I'm concerned, it was challenging enough to play a prostitute, something that doesn't come by so easily these days." She pauses and running her fingers through her thick mane of hair, continues sombrely, "Why, do people expect me to do only heroine oriented films or what? Frankly, I have no such demands and no hang-ups. I'm open to even those offers which promise me a couple of exciting scenes, if not more. But I must be convinced of the veracity of the role."
Despite all the hoopla surrounding her career today, Tabu's career is not exactly blissful as it ought to be. She has yet to land a part which could place her on the A-list. A stint like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge for Kajol or a Raja Hindustani for Karisma Kapoor. "Yes, a super-duper hit skyrockets your career like nobody's business. If that sort of triumph eludes you, what are you supposed to do? Go into a depression? In my career graph, I have almost 20 flops to my credit. Had I been affected by those, I would've been dead and gone by now."
Tabu, in any case, still hasn't set her sights on megastardom, it seems. Her list of films is not so remarkable, so to speak, going by the commercial standards. Darmiyaan, Anandam and a dubbed Duniya Dilwalon Ki. "I really have to explain every move of mine. Well, I know Darmiyaan is another film which has raised a lot of eyebrows. But I didn't see any reason to refuse the film. And I am happy to have accepted it. It was a treat working with Kalpana Lajmi whose work I've always admired. I have an interesting role of a film star who sympathises with a eunuch. It's not a bland role because I have a couple of fabulous songs plus the all important climax scene to my credit."
Talking about Mani Rathnam's Anandam with Mohanlal and Aishwarya Rai, she's truly excited. "It's an honour to work with Mani Rathnam who is a great filmmaker. He knows exactly what he wants from his artistes and presents them beautifully." Okay, Anandam may be well worth its while, for the rights of the Hindi version of this film have reportedly been sold for a whopping 6.5 crores. But what about a lesser dubbed film like Duniya Dilwalon Ki? "I'm not apologetic about it," says she forthwith. "Besides the extraordinary music by A.R. Rehman, the main attraction was the role of a teenybopper which I enjoyed doing."
Her current obsession with the unconventional films seems to have forged an image of a profound actress. And she's quite happy at being considered a serious actress. But there is a gnawing feeling of falling short of people's expectations. "Being associated with the serious sort of cinema elevates you in people's eyes and they start expecting the world from you. It also creates an impression that you have a profound knowledge of the intricacies of cinema. To live upto these high standards is tough. Anyway, sometimes I pretend to be a know-all, which I'm not" she gigles.
How earthy and honest! Her candour is so disarming. "That's me myself. I've always been like that. But isn't that the way one ought to be? It helps you retain your sanity. Fame is so fickle, you can't let it go to your head."
So is she singlemindedly pursuing her career or ready to think about other aspects of her life? Marriage, for example. Her romantic dalliance with Sajid Nadiadwala already has people speculating about her trip to the altar. When exactly are the wedding bells supposed to chime? "I don't know, I really don't know. Its surprising to hear people talking about my wedding plans when I haven't really planned anything as yet. All I can say is that I don't want this relationship to be tainted by gossipmonger's piffle. So its best to refrain from making any comments whatsoever." And she suddenly clams up. No more prodding on the subject.
That's Tabu for you. And that is how she wants to be. She doesn't want anyone prying in her private life or putting a label on her in her professional life. Her attitude is: "Go ahead and think whatever you want, this is just me, you can figure it out. It's not my job to convince you on who I am. My job is to be in movies and I'm hopeful that people like my work. It would be nice if they liked me. But it's not my goal. Not at the expense of being scrutinised and examined."
She suddenly gets up to go. It'stime to get back to work. We study her gargantuan beauty wondering if she's worried about appearing larger-than-life in her exotic turquoise dress. The girl loves to be as normal as can be.
BY: GEETY SAHGAL
Tinseltown
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