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!