BY NEHA SARIN
Tabu is not just a pretty face, she is a mighty actor who carries these twisted & odd roles proudly. She is a non-conformist who has danced to her own beat. Black, white and gray, this actress has done it all in her wide array of films. Her latest film `Andhadhun’ is the opening night film of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
Tabu is not just a pretty face, she is a mighty actor who carries these twisted & odd roles proudly. She is a non-conformist who has danced to her own beat. Black, white and gray, this actress has done it all in her wide array of films. Her latest film `Andhadhun’ is the opening night film of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
(IFFLA) April 11 at the Ahrya Fine Arts movie theater in Beverly Hills. IFFLA runs April 11-14 at Regal LA Live.
Q. What was your experience working on this marvelously twisted tale Andhadhun and with Sriram Raghavan?
A. It was exactly the way the film was especially because my character is like that. She is making up things as she is going. You don’t know what’s going to happen. As a script, it’s not even a slightly predictable storyline. It’s a skill to manage that as a filmmaker. In a film like this, you cannot have set reactions or responses. And with Sriram being so democratic, you can bring in your own stuff. The tough part is to do everything within the framework of the plot as the plot cannot change.
Q. You have played an impressive range of roles in diverse genres that most actors can only dream of – serious and thought-provoking, comedy, thriller, art house, and mainstream Bollywood. What speaks to you when you select your roles?
A. Looking back in retrospect, when a script comes, there are so many factors. It was a conscious choice but I cannot be in control of what I am being offered so that way I feel I was lucky. I have been offered anything and everything. That’s a great thing. I have never shied away from doing different roles and characters.
Q. You have portrayed two Shakespearean heroines Ghazala of ‘Haider’ (Gertrude of Hamlet) and Nimmi of ‘Maqbool’ (Lady Macbeth of Macbeth), both tormented characters, with depth and brilliance. How did you prepare for those roles and what was your feeling when you watched them on screen?
A. I don’t think I prepare. I think no matter how much you prepare in your head but when you go on set, it’s different. I don’t know what preparation takes, maybe because I am not a trained actor who has gone to a film or a drama school. I also feel that you can prepare for action sequences, but it’s harder to prepare for stuff that involves other people. It depends on the synergy you have with them. When Vishal came to me with ‘Haider,’ I knew I was her after a two-scene narration. I knew that no one had seen something like this, and it was an educative experience for me to evolve from. ‘Maqbool’ and ‘Haider’ are two of my best roles and I have to thank Vishal for bringing me such iconic characters from literature.
Q. Why the recent interest in negative roles – ‘Missing,’ to some extent ‘Drishyam,’ and of course ‘Andhadhun’?
A. It’s not recent. I played a negative role in ‘Jaal’ in 1999. ‘Astitva’ was gray I think. ‘Chandni Bar’ was gray, ‘Maqbool’ was totally dark. ‘Andhadhun’ was unapologetic and dark and twisted and there is no justification. It’s a character driven by simply circumstances and situations and there is no fuss about that. There is no remorse and no moral compass in her and she is relentless. She is not thinking at all.
Q. How much of that character was framed by you?
A. Sriram, Pooja and I kept talking about it, on set, between shots. I must have brought in a bit of who I am as an actor.
Q. You are ranked alongside India’s most talented actresses such as Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Were these two, and which others, a source of inspiration for you?
A. Growing up I was never a movie watcher. I was 16 when I started acting, so there was studies and work. I came into this very accidentally, very reluctantly. So I never had any reference points of actors. I just wanted the best of me to be out there in my work.
Q. But what drew you into acting then, what kept you going?
A. Initially you enjoy the attention and the song and dance, the compliments, the male attention and then the independence of earning your money. But somewhere I kept looking for experiences to grow and express myself. So subconsciously I looked for things that allowed me to express and be me. The 90’s was not very open or forgiving to the gray characters I played. Now it’s the cool thing to do. I feel claustrophobia with set formulas. In some things, formulas and patterns work. But even in that, I was not convinced that there was one particular way of doing it. You are constantly changing, evolving. Your needs, criteria or barometers vary.
Q. Any dream directors you would like to work with?
A. Tarantino. He will just make one more film, so I don’t think there is any chance. I don’t just want to work with a name. It’s everything. But I can work with Sriram all my life! I am so glad that I had that experience with him, Pooja and the whole team. The best thing about ‘Andhadhun’ was that for the first time I have literally owned the film, the character and the success of the film. And I am sure everyone involved in the film feels that way. Sriram made everyone feel like it’s their work. He is completely divorced from ego, taking credit. So everyone feels it’s our film. For more information visit www.indianfilmfestival.org
Q. What was your experience working on this marvelously twisted tale Andhadhun and with Sriram Raghavan?
A. It was exactly the way the film was especially because my character is like that. She is making up things as she is going. You don’t know what’s going to happen. As a script, it’s not even a slightly predictable storyline. It’s a skill to manage that as a filmmaker. In a film like this, you cannot have set reactions or responses. And with Sriram being so democratic, you can bring in your own stuff. The tough part is to do everything within the framework of the plot as the plot cannot change.
Q. You have played an impressive range of roles in diverse genres that most actors can only dream of – serious and thought-provoking, comedy, thriller, art house, and mainstream Bollywood. What speaks to you when you select your roles?
A. Looking back in retrospect, when a script comes, there are so many factors. It was a conscious choice but I cannot be in control of what I am being offered so that way I feel I was lucky. I have been offered anything and everything. That’s a great thing. I have never shied away from doing different roles and characters.
Q. You have portrayed two Shakespearean heroines Ghazala of ‘Haider’ (Gertrude of Hamlet) and Nimmi of ‘Maqbool’ (Lady Macbeth of Macbeth), both tormented characters, with depth and brilliance. How did you prepare for those roles and what was your feeling when you watched them on screen?
A. I don’t think I prepare. I think no matter how much you prepare in your head but when you go on set, it’s different. I don’t know what preparation takes, maybe because I am not a trained actor who has gone to a film or a drama school. I also feel that you can prepare for action sequences, but it’s harder to prepare for stuff that involves other people. It depends on the synergy you have with them. When Vishal came to me with ‘Haider,’ I knew I was her after a two-scene narration. I knew that no one had seen something like this, and it was an educative experience for me to evolve from. ‘Maqbool’ and ‘Haider’ are two of my best roles and I have to thank Vishal for bringing me such iconic characters from literature.
Q. Why the recent interest in negative roles – ‘Missing,’ to some extent ‘Drishyam,’ and of course ‘Andhadhun’?
A. It’s not recent. I played a negative role in ‘Jaal’ in 1999. ‘Astitva’ was gray I think. ‘Chandni Bar’ was gray, ‘Maqbool’ was totally dark. ‘Andhadhun’ was unapologetic and dark and twisted and there is no justification. It’s a character driven by simply circumstances and situations and there is no fuss about that. There is no remorse and no moral compass in her and she is relentless. She is not thinking at all.
Q. How much of that character was framed by you?
A. Sriram, Pooja and I kept talking about it, on set, between shots. I must have brought in a bit of who I am as an actor.
Q. You are ranked alongside India’s most talented actresses such as Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Were these two, and which others, a source of inspiration for you?
A. Growing up I was never a movie watcher. I was 16 when I started acting, so there was studies and work. I came into this very accidentally, very reluctantly. So I never had any reference points of actors. I just wanted the best of me to be out there in my work.
Q. But what drew you into acting then, what kept you going?
A. Initially you enjoy the attention and the song and dance, the compliments, the male attention and then the independence of earning your money. But somewhere I kept looking for experiences to grow and express myself. So subconsciously I looked for things that allowed me to express and be me. The 90’s was not very open or forgiving to the gray characters I played. Now it’s the cool thing to do. I feel claustrophobia with set formulas. In some things, formulas and patterns work. But even in that, I was not convinced that there was one particular way of doing it. You are constantly changing, evolving. Your needs, criteria or barometers vary.
Q. Any dream directors you would like to work with?
A. Tarantino. He will just make one more film, so I don’t think there is any chance. I don’t just want to work with a name. It’s everything. But I can work with Sriram all my life! I am so glad that I had that experience with him, Pooja and the whole team. The best thing about ‘Andhadhun’ was that for the first time I have literally owned the film, the character and the success of the film. And I am sure everyone involved in the film feels that way. Sriram made everyone feel like it’s their work. He is completely divorced from ego, taking credit. So everyone feels it’s our film. For more information visit www.indianfilmfestival.org