“I played such a relevant role in Maachis; it was like a drug.”
Today, we recognize Tabu as Nimmi from Maqbool, Mumtaz in Chandni Bar, Ghazala in Haider, and Aditi Pandit in Astitva. However, she didn’t initially enter the industry with the aim of becoming the face of groundbreaking cinema. It was her early collaboration with Gulzar in Maachis (1996) that made her realise her potential and set her on a path that will keep her relevant in the Hindi film industry for decades to come. Maachis acted ‘as a drug’ for Tabu, pushing her to seek out powerful roles.
Like most actors, Tabu’s journey in Hindi films began with mainstream cinema. Her debut Hindi film was Pehla Pehla Pyar, opposite Rishi Kapoor. Afterward, she appeared in commercial films like Vijyapath, Prem, Saajan Ki Baahon Mein, Haqeeqat, Himmat, Jeet and more. These films were a world apart from Gulzar’s Maachis, which delved into the aftermath of Operation Blue Star — a traumatic chapter in Indian history that saw rise of militancy in Punjab. Gulzar saw Tabu as the perfect fit for the role of Veeran. Despite the stark contrast in the nature of these films, the filmmaker saw her as the ideal choice for the character of a simple girl from Punjab who becomes a militant.
Gulzar called Tabu’s aunt and veteran actor Shabana Azmi, expressing his interest to cast her for Maachis. Sharing how Gulzar approached her for the film, Tabu told Mid-Day, “I could not believe he wanted to cast me. At that time, I was very young to even understand the relevance of his films but I knew that he made films like Masoom and Angoor in which people are so real and still they are the leads. They are able to talk like normal people and are still able to move you deeply. I always wished to work with somebody like that who could bring that out in me.”
Much like the lyrics Gulzar writes, the first meeting between him and Tabu was also poetic. They sat together for an hour and without speaking a word, and Gulzar decided to cast Tabu for his film. In their silent exchange during their meeting, Gulzar and Tabu discovered a language that transcended words.
Recounting this memorable meeting with Gulzar, Tabu said, “I often talk about my meeting with Gulzar sahab for Maachis because it is one of the strongest memories I have. I remember going to meet him. He had a cold at that time. So, I went and sat there, he also sat there and we just sat there for an hour. I was nervous and thinking, ‘What will he say to me? How will I reply?’ I think he was writing something and I kept waiting, we didn’t speak anything during the entire one hour. After an hour I said, ‘Aacha Gulzar sahab (Okay Gulzar sahab, I will take your leave),’ and he said, ‘Aacha theek hai (He said okay).’ and I left. I think he had already decided that he is going to cast me in the film. After 2-3 days, he called me again and gave me the script of Maachis and read it to me. So, basically, this was his way of saying that this is what you are going to do in the film.”
Although Tabu was excited to work with Gulzar, her lack of experience in playing serious characters on screen made her nervous about portraying the troubled character of Veeran. For Gulzar, however, Maachis was a significant film. He had witnessed the brutalities of the Partition up close, as he was born in Dina, Pakistan, and moved to Mumbai after the Partition.
While Tabu later understood the film’s significance for Gulzar, at the time, she was thrilled to have a substantial role in a story for the first time in her four-year career as an actor. She expressed, “After hearing him narrate, I was like, ‘What am I going to do?’ I could not understand anything because the subject was so heavy and political. And I understand the political relevance now and what it meant to Gulzar sahab. At that time, I just looked at my character and I was like, ‘Oh my god I am playing such a relevant part in this story.’ That was like a drug. And if somebody like Gulzar sahab can entrust you with this kind of character, it’s like stepping into a new skin.”
It was during the making of Maachis and Tabu’s enriching relationship with Gulzar thereafter that played a pivotal role in her life. “My relationship with Gulzar sahab is the one that has impacted me the most in my life. I found a home in him. He is somebody who is completely divorced from the craziness and predictability of the movie industry. He is calm and evolved.”
Tabu won her first National Award for the film Maachis and later collaborated with Gulzar in Hu Tu Tu (1999), alongside Suniel Shetty and Nana Patekar. In Tabu’s own words, her partnership with Gulzar was nothing short of transformative, “He put me on my own self-discovery as an actor because I saw so much trust in him for me, I thought mein toh tope hu because Gulzar sahab is appreciating me. It really just opens up your faculties and creative abilities.”
Click for more updates and latest Bollywood news along with Entertainment updates. Also get latest news and top headlines from India and around the world at The Indian Express.
When Gulzar sat silently with Tabu for one hour, offered her Maachis after that: ‘This relationship impacted my life the most’ – The Indian Express
Leave a comment