She has been in the industry for a good 35 years now but Tabu says she can never be tired of facing the camera. She may have a strict schedule ahead of her, but the actress tells Deebashree Mohanty that she has started enjoying this stint much more
The one thing that works wonders with this celebrity is nervous energy. It keeps her going and pushes her to give her best. “As a performer, the moment you say you are no longer afraid of consequences and jo hoga dekha jaega, you have reached the fag end of your career. There is nothing that can excite you any more. I don’t think that is the best approach in this industry. Here, the moment you get complacent, your career is kaput,” veteran actress Tabu says. She is in her ‘happy’ space at the moment, celebrating the super success of her thriller film Drishyam.
“It was such an amazing concept. My friends were behind the Telegu and Tamil films, so I had seen the original make much before and I had always fantasised myself in the powerful role of Meera. The moment Nishikant approached me to be a part of the film, I was beaming. It was like a dream come true,” she says. Although the role was that of a ruthless cop, Tabu says she is very scared of one in real life. “I don’t want to get entangled in any hassle with the cop. I think they are doing a tremendous job of safeguarding our cities but I would never want to rub them the wrong way,” she tells you.
So, how did she manage to pull off the character so convincinglyIJ “After aeon of experience in the film industry and having played characters, I think I can handle anything coming my way (laughs). It’s a nice feeling to do a substantial, powerful role. I really enjoyed being Meera for the duration of the film,” the Vijaypath actress says. Power roles which she essayed in Haider are the kinds that Tabu is eyeing.
“From where I am right now, I would only like to do these influencing roles where there is a challenge for me to overcome. I have been there for long enough to know what roles will suit me and which ones are not meant for me at all,” she says.
It is a known fact that Tabu doesn't go hankering after awards at functions bu the seasoned actor tells you she wont mind if the awards find her instead. “I am never going to go after awards and accolades but if they find me, I would be a fool to say it doesn't matter. Any kind of recognition in any industry matters a lot,” she explains. Having done all kinds of roles in her illustrious career, Tabu says she has learnt a lot and grown very fast.
“It is an insider joke in the industry; that here we age 10 times faster and experience everything 10 times before we really should. Bollywood teaches you many things — how to survive, how to take up challenges, how to mould yourself to adapt to a situation, how to be patient et al,” she says.
Coming back to Drishyam, which she says is one of her top five favourite films; Tabu feels the reason it had an impact on the audience was because it was so real. “Nishikant being a Maharashtrian has worked a lot on the cinematography. The way he took the scene in and out of Goa made a lot of difference to the film. Everyone thinks that it is easy to replicate a re-make but for me it is tougher and much more back breaking. The director has the added tension of making his movie different, yet not lose the soul of the film. In drishyam this has been done very subtly,” she says.
Working with ‘old pal’ Ajay Devgn was the icing on the cake for Tabu. Even though the duo were working after a 14 year gap, Tabu says nothing has changed in Devgn.
“He is the same old hard working person who wants to get involved in every nitty gritty of film making. I have worked with so many actors, but I am yet to meet someone with filmy knowledge as Devgn. He knows a whole lot about everything,” she says. Although the friends caught up on the sets, Tabu wishes she was not pitted as his rival in the film.
“I felt miserable while doing scenes where I had to trouble him and his family, especially his young children (on screen),” the sensitive Tabu comes to the fore.
According to the actress, Devgn is the best Bollywood Papa! “He is very good with his children and gives them a lot of his time. Ajay always gives priority to his family over work. That is very essential in the industry that we work in,” she says. As for his pranks, “that has reduced in comparison,” Tabu offers as a reply.
With big banner films like Fitoor lined up for next year, Tabu says there is so much more to look forward to.
“I love my work. Things are looking good at this moment,” she says.