Tabu: Lesser known facts

After a variety of remarkable performances in the past, Tabu has once again proved her mettle in the industry with Haider. Be it Chandni Bar, Life of Pi, Maqbool or Haider, Tabu has a long lineage of films which boast of her versatility and magnetic screen presence. As Tabu turns 43 today, let's take a look at some aspects of her career and personal life which are not known to many.
The actress was born as Tabassum Hashmi to Jamal Hashmi and Rizwana. She was born on November 4, 1971 in Kolkata. Her parents were divorced when she was a child.

Tabu is a pure vegetarian. Much against the character that she played in Cheeni Kum where she loves Chicken Biryani, she prefers to remain vegan. And this, despite the fact that her mother cooks flawless Biryani! Another fact that remains relatively unknown is that, though she has experimented with her roles and characters, one thing that she never experimented with is her hairstyle in any of her films. Her hair continues to remain long and black, which she considers as her biggest asset.

Tabu supposedly has more than a hundred pet names in the industry from 'Tabs', 'Tubs' to 'Tubby' and many more. But the most popular amongst them is 'Tobler' and 'Toblerone'. Even her email id goes by that name. However her real name is Tabassum. While she has always been credited as a realistic actress, Tabu confesses that she can never ever cry onscreen without using glycerine. The actress has never claimed it in media that she is a fitness freak and practices yoga with full dedication. She also hits the gym on a regular basis.

Tabu's mother was a school teacher. She was a student of St. Anns High School in Hyderabad. In the year 1983, Tabu moved to Mumbai. She studied at St. Xavier's College for two years. After that she joined Bollywood and started her career as an actress. Her first few years in the industry were not easy for her. She gave many flops before delivering her first hit.

Talent runs in the Hashmi-Azmi family. Tabu is the niece of veteran actress Shabana Azmi. Farah Naaz who has worked in films like - Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri, Begunaah etc is Tabu's elder sister. Indian film cinematographer Baba Azmi is Tabu's uncle. He is married to actress Tanvi Azmi. Apart from Hindi and English, Tabu also speaks Urdu and Telugu.

Tabu was just 10 years old when she made her first screen appearance. She made a small appearance in Bollywood film Bazaar. At the age of fourteen she acted again in Dev Anand starrer Hum Naujawan. She played the role of Dev Anand's daughter in the film. Her first full fledged role was in a Telugu movie titled Coolie No. 1 opposite the South star Venkatesh.

Tabu got her first big break in the Bollywood film Prem. The film, produced by Boney Kapoor took eight years to complete. Tabu was signed opposite Sanjay Kapoor in the film. But the filmdid not do well at the box office. She was also seen in Pehla Pehla Pyar, but this film too failed to create a buzz.

Tabu came into the limelight in 1994 with Vijaypath. The film starring Ajay Devgn and Tabu went on to be the biggest hit of the year. She also won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for her superb performance. In 1996, Tabu again went on to give a series of hits like - Jeet, Sajan Chale Sasural etc. According to her, one of the most difficult scenes that she shot for, happens to be from Virasat when she sings on her first night using a unique lip-movement for orchestration. Priyadarshan was a taskmaster and did not let her go until she got the act immaculately correct.

Tabu has won two National Awards - one for Maachis and another one for Chandni Bar. She also won Filmfare Best Actress Awards for her hard hitting performances in films like - Virasat, Hu Tu Tu, Astitva, Chandni Bar etc. She has won the IIFA award for her heart-wrenching role in Chandni Bar. The actress received the Padma Shri in 2011 for her contribution towards Indian cinema.

Tabu has been a philanthropist since ages and has always lent a helping hand to friends, well-wishers, media persons and even producers in need. With her generous deeds, a popular jocular belief about her is that her bank-balance is perpetually zero. She has travelled across the globe for her shooting schedules. But her holiday destinations have never gone beyond Mumbai, Hyderabad and the US.