Tabu Turns 55 on November 4, and Her Quietest Performances Are Her Best

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Tabu turns 55 on November 4. She started as a child actor in the 1980s, and over the decades she has become one of the few Indian actresses whose name alone can open a film. She rarely needs to raise her voice to hold a scene, and that is a big part of why her work has lasted.

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Maachis (1996), directed by Gulzar, was an early sign of what she could do. It is a grim story about the Punjab insurgency, and Tabu plays a young woman caught in the violence with a steady face that does most of the talking. Chandni Bar (2001) later brought her a National Film Award for Best Actress, and it is the performance I point people towards first.

Photo: Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Haider (2014), Vishal Bhardwaj's version of Hamlet set in Kashmir, gave her a role that critics noticed. Drishyam (2015) followed, with Tabu as the wife of a man who hides a crime to protect his family. It is a tense thriller, and her calm, controlled reactions make the suspense work.

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Andhadhun (2018) is the one I recommend to friends who think they have seen every Hindi thriller. She plays a character who is cold, sly and very funny, and the plot works better when you know as little as possible going in.

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Which Tabu film is your favourite? I would start with Chandni Bar if you want the serious side, and Andhadhun if you want to laugh before the twists hit.