Don’t want to get stuck doing women-oriented films: Tabu

Acclaimed actress Tabu, who features in the recently released Golmaal Again, says she enjoys essaying strong women characters on screen, but doesn’t want to get limited to such films. She feels taking on the responsibility of carrying a whole film is probably not the best thing. “If producers and directors approach with the idea of tasking me with the responsibility of carrying the film, I do not want that. The focus should be on my work, my performance, not that I sell in this category of film.”

Starting her career in 1980 with Bazaar with a small part, and then sharing screen space with the iconic Dev Anand in Hum Naujawan, Tabu has gone on to act in films like Maachis, Kalapani, Border, Chandni Bar, and Fitoor. The actress has bagged six National Awards and received the Padma Shri in 2011.

Asked if she ever gets hangovers of her characters, Tabu says, “Well, yes. But the intensity depends on how much that character has impacted my mind. Some characters stay for long in my system, like the one from Hu Tu Tu. That character was poles apart from who I am. It starts out grey, and later, becomes totally dark.” She also adds that her characters in Maqbool, Haider and The Namesake affected her. “Those were so larger than life that they shook my equilibrium.”

But Tabu insists she is fun loving and always keen to explore the comedy genre. She will be seen in Luv Ranjan’s upcoming rom-com alongside Ajay Devgn.

She says, “It’s important not to get caught in everyday drudgery.”