I'm proud of my work, my achievements - Tabu

                   She has just come back from a three week holiday in the United States. "I went
                   for my shows and decided to stay back with my
                   cousins in Frisco!  Bombay City can be quite stifling
                   and I need my break from time to time!" she laughs as
                   you settle down on her couch in her simple house in
                   Versova. Tabu is exceptionally cheerful… But why
                   not?  Her personal and professional lives are more
                   balanced and settled today than even a year ago.
                   She has more awards in her room than most of her
                   contemporaries.  Her checkered relationship with producer Sajid Nadiadwala has
                   been severed… And now with Hera Pheri topping Bollywood hit lists, Tabu has
                   more reasons to smile!    Excerpts from an informal tete-tete…

                   How did you feel at the shows? Were you awkward?

                   (Smiles) It was fantastic!  You know, shows are a different world altogether. It's
                   about people whose opinions are not tainted by anything other than what they
                   have actually seen on screen.  In Bombay or India, somehow there is bias in any
                   opinion… I can't explain the purity of their adulation at the shows. It was a sort of
                   an eye-opener!

                   How does it feel to have another hit in Hera Pheri?

                   (Smiles) It was a fun film.  I enjoyed doing the role although it
                   was a small one.  I wouldn't have felt differently anyway.

                   Do you take your awards casually today now that you have
                   won three in a row? Does it still make a difference?

                   Of course it does! Whoever says that awards don't matter is
                   lying. An award reassures you.  For me it was a great way of
                   starting the millennium. It feels nice to know that there are
                   people out there who believe in me. I feel I'm on the right
                   track and there's no reason to feel anxious about the course
                   of my career.

                   What aspects of your career are you anxious about?

                   (Laughs) Every damn area… it's like treading on eggshells.  Every decision you
                   make has its repercussions after six months. There's the fear of being slotted all
                   the time. For instance, a producer offered me a second lead role recently just
                   because I did Hum Saath Saath  Hain. It depressed me because I thought
                   everyone would follow suit and I would be labelled as a bhabhi for life! I showed
                   the producer the door without wasting time.

                   Would you say you feel satisfied when you look back at your career?

                   To a great extent, yes.  I'm proud of my work, my achievements. I've got a
                   national award. The critics as well as the masses have liked my performances. I've
                   done some truly memorable films. What more can I ask for? At the end of the day,
                   I feel proud that I've achieved all that on my own. I haven't played dirty games
                   with anyone.

                   According to the latest you've split with Sajid Nadiadwala. True or false?

                   (Shaking her head) I don't want to speak about that… It's too personal.

                   Okay. But rumors also suggest that you are now seeing Milind Soman… ?

                   That's not true. I have two films with him. Esmayeel Shroff's Tarkeeib and one for
                   Zee films. He's nothing beyond a co-star.  It doesn't bother me what the gossip
                   magazines have to say about me. I've become thick skinned.  I don't care!