Tabu wanted to direct, but...

Her flawless performances might convince you that she was made solely for acting. But it turns out that Tabu’s secret dream has been to direct a film. She had even thought about the story, her cast and the shoot locations. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, and Tabu, who turns a year older today, reveals why.

“Long back I had the thought. As an actor, you don’t just enact characters but also take part in the filming process. And that, kind of, often makes you feel like trying out other aspects of filmmaking. One of them [is] direction and I also wanted to [do it]. But things did not go as planned,” she recalls.

She even shared her dream with a friend. “I was so excited that I even called my director friend Maneesh Sharma and told him that I was going to make a film. I shared the entire plan with him and he was quite encouraging… I needed that conversation, if nothing else. In future if an opportunity comes I would like to make that dream come true,” adds the 48-yearold, who will be seen next in Jawaani Jaaneman, Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy, and the Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramloo.

In Jawaani Jaaneman, her character, a cameo, comes at an important point in the story. In her debut Telugu film, she plays one of the lead parts and describes the character as being very close to who she is. However, she refuses to talk about her international sixpart TV series A Suitable Boy.

In a career spanning three decades, Tabu has essayed myriad roles. Which one is the closest to her? “I wouldn’t like to pick but yes, one character that stayed with me is Nimmi from Maqbool (2003). Such strong female parts are usually not written in Bollywood. I feel Nimmi’s character acted as a catalyst in the way the industry is changing. It really stands out for its intensity,” she says.

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