# Tabu (actress)
**Tabu** (तब्बू) is the professional name of Tabassum Fatima Hashmi (born 1971), an Indian actress known for work in [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema) and, to a lesser extent, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, and Bengali films. She has won the National Film Award for Best Actress twice, for *Maachis* (1996) and *Chandni Bar* (2001), and received the [Padma Shri](https://www.edgepedia.org/padma-shri), India's fourth-highest civilian award, in 2011.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Tabassum Fatima Hashmi, born 1971, Hyderabad[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/) |
| Major awards | Two National Film Awards for Best Actress (*Maachis*, *Chandni Bar*); Padma Shri in 2011[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/bio/) |
| Filmfare record | Holds the record for most wins of the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress; her biography lists five, for *Virasat*, *Hu Tu Tu*, *Astitva*, *Cheeni Kum*, and *Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/bio/) |
| Breakthrough | *Vijaypath* (1994), which won her a Filmfare Best Debut award[3](https://tv.apple.com/cv/person/tabu/umc.cpc.27vhu4paj6b31nlw9il8qd6ww) |
| International work | Mira Nair's *The Namesake* (2006) and Ang Lee's Academy Award-winning *Life of Pi* (2012)[3](https://tv.apple.com/cv/person/tabu/umc.cpc.27vhu4paj6b31nlw9il8qd6ww) |
| Languages | Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, and Bengali films[4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/tabu) |
| Recent work | *Andhadhun*, *Drishyam 2*, *Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2*, *Crew*, and the HBO series *Dune: Prophecy*[5](https://avclub.com/tabu-career-interview-film-tv) |
## Early life and first roles
Tabu was born in [Hyderabad](https://www.edgepedia.org/hyderabad) and grew up surrounded by books, with parents who encouraged an academic career.[3](https://tv.apple.com/cv/person/tabu/umc.cpc.27vhu4paj6b31nlw9il8qd6ww) She is the younger sister of the actress Farah Naaz and a niece of [Shabana Azmi](https://www.edgepedia.org/shabana-azmi).[6](https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/tabu-the-perfectionist) • [7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/)
Her first screen appearance came as a child in *Bazaar*; sources place the film in 1980[6](https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/tabu-the-perfectionist) or 1982.[8](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/happy-birthday-tabu_64917) At 14 she played [Dev Anand](https://www.edgepedia.org/dev-anand)'s daughter in *Hum Naujawan* (1985), and it was Dev Anand who gave her the screen name Tabu.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/) Her first role as a lead actress was in the Telugu film *Coolie No 1* (1991); her main Hindi debut was signed for [Boney Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/boney-kapoor)'s big-budget *Prem*, a production that took eight years to complete and flopped at the box office.[6](https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/tabu-the-perfectionist)
## 1990s breakthrough
*Vijaypath* (1994), opposite [Ajay Devgn](https://www.edgepedia.org/ajay-devgn), made her a commercial name, helped by the hit song "Ruk Ruk Ruk"; she won a Filmfare Best Debut Award for the film, which she landed only after the original leading actress died.[3](https://tv.apple.com/cv/person/tabu/umc.cpc.27vhu4paj6b31nlw9il8qd6ww) • [7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/) Rather than staying with song-and-dance roles, she moved across a wide range of films in the decade, including *Virasat*, *Maachis*, *Biwi No 1*, *Iruvar*, and *Border*.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/)
**First National Award.** Gulzar cast her in *Maachis* (1996), his film about militancy in Kashmir, as a Punjabi woman; the performance won her first National Film Award for Best Actress at the 44th [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards).[8](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/happy-birthday-tabu_64917) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/bio/) She later said she still did not know what made Gulzar cast her, since at the time only her dancing numbers were on air.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/)
## Critical standing and awards
Tabu's accolades include two National Film Awards, seven [Filmfare Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-awards), two [Filmfare Awards South](https://www.edgepedia.org/filmfare-awards-south), and the Padma Shri.[9](https://thereviewmonk.com/person/tabu/) The second National Award came for *Chandni Bar* (2001), [Madhur Bhandarkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhur-bhandarkar)'s film about a bar dancer, at the 49th ceremony in 2002, where the award was shared with Shobana for *Mitr: My Friend*.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/awards/) President Pratibha Patil conferred the Padma Shri on her at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 24 March 2011.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/bio/)
Her Filmfare record is unusual: she holds the record for wins in the Critics' Best Actress category, with her biography listing five victories (*Virasat*, *Hu Tu Tu*, *Astitva*, *Cheeni Kum*, and *Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2*), while her main IMDb page states four.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/bio/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/) She also holds the record for the most Filmfare Best Actress nominations in the popular category without a win, eight nominations as of 2025.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/bio/)
## International and later career
Tabu's success in India led to roles in Hollywood-backed productions: [Mira Nair](https://www.edgepedia.org/mira-nair)'s *The Namesake* (2006), in which she played the Bengali housewife Ashima Ganguli, and [Ang Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/ang-lee)'s Academy Award-winning *Life of Pi* (2012), as the protagonist's mother.[3](https://tv.apple.com/cv/person/tabu/umc.cpc.27vhu4paj6b31nlw9il8qd6ww) [Konkona Sen Sharma](https://www.edgepedia.org/konkona-sen-sharma) was Nair's first choice for *The Namesake*, and Tabu was cast after she declined; Nair reported that the Bengali audience was "ecstatic" despite Tabu not being Bengali.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/) She has said she is not looking to move to Hollywood for work.[6](https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/tabu-the-perfectionist)
Her collaborations with [Vishal Bhardwaj](https://www.edgepedia.org/vishal-bhardwaj) produced two Shakespeare-derived roles, Lady Macbeth in *Maqbool* (2003) and Gertrude in *Haider* (2014), despite her saying she did not know Shakespeare's works; a New York Times review of *Haider* wrote that her Ghazala "hijacks the movie, pushing Haider (Hamlet) to the sidelines in his own story."[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/) In Sriram Raghavan's *Andhadhun* (2018) she played the femme fatale Simi; the Indian Express reported the film earned about Rs 4.33 billion (Rs 433 crore) at the box office.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/) She played police officer Meera Deshmukh in *Drishyam* (2015) and its 2022 sequel, and Saeeda Bai in the BBC adaptation of Vikram Seth's *A Suitable Boy*.[11](https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/i-can-t-give-blanket-statements-on-feminism-tabu/story-m2hqC6JKBcLrdvmJx9RADL.html) • [12](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3095975/why-tabu-meryl-streep-indian-cinema-andhadhun-jai-ho) In 2024 she appeared in the HBO series *Dune: Prophecy*.[5](https://avclub.com/tabu-career-interview-film-tv)
## Acting style and reputation
Tabu is described as selective about her roles and is regarded as one of the most talented Indian actresses of her generation.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/) She works without a formal method, saying, "Mostly, I work on instinct. That's my DNA and I work best when I work like that."[11](https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/i-can-t-give-blanket-statements-on-feminism-tabu/story-m2hqC6JKBcLrdvmJx9RADL.html) Commentators note her improvisatory, naturalistic style, and she credits her directors with giving her "the space for rediscovery and rebirth."[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/)
She has moved between commercial and independent cinema throughout her career, appearing in comedies such as *Golmaal Again* and *Biwi No 1* alongside issue-driven dramas such as *Astitva* (2000) and *Chandni Bar*; she has said the commercial success of films like "Ruk Ruk Ruk" is what made her parallel-cinema offers possible.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/) • [11](https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/i-can-t-give-blanket-statements-on-feminism-tabu/story-m2hqC6JKBcLrdvmJx9RADL.html) While many of her 1990s contemporaries moved to supporting roles or left the industry, she has continued to command leading and central parts into her fifties, a career the Indian Express called a renaissance.[7](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/)
## References
1. [Tabu, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/)
2. [Tabu, Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/bio/)
3. [Tabu Films and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/cv/person/tabu/umc.cpc.27vhu4paj6b31nlw9il8qd6ww)
4. [Tabu, Filmography & Biography, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actor/tabu)
5. [Tabu interview: The actor walks us through her storied career, The A.V. Club](https://avclub.com/tabu-career-interview-film-tv)
6. [Tabu: The Perfectionist, Open Magazine](https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/tabu-the-perfectionist)
7. [25 years of Tabu: Why sassy Simi is one of Bollywood's most respected leading ladies, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/25-years-of-tabu-in-bollywood-5879140/)
8. [Happy Birthday Tabu!, India Forums](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/happy-birthday-tabu_64917)
9. [Tabu, Credits & Filmography, TheReviewMonk](https://thereviewmonk.com/person/tabu/)
10. [Tabu, Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007102/awards/)
11. [I can't give blanket statements on feminism: Tabu, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/i-can-t-give-blanket-statements-on-feminism-tabu/story-m2hqC6JKBcLrdvmJx9RADL.html)
12. [Why Tabu is the Meryl Streep of Indian cinema, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3095975/why-tabu-meryl-streep-indian-cinema-andhadhun-jai-ho)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Indian and South Asian film actors by industry and language › Hindi film actors, 1990s–2000s › Surnames R to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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