Coolie No.1 (1991): Tabu made her Telugu debut opposite Venkatesh in K Raghavendra Rao’s Coolie No. 1. She played Ranjani, a wealthy heiress in a stormy relationship with a railway porter.
Kadhal Desam (1996): Her Tamil debut followed the college rivalry between Pachiappas and Loyola students in Chennai. A ‘90s classic, the film was powered by AR Rahman’s soaring soundtrack.Kaalapani (1996): That same year, Tabu starred in Priyadarshan’s Malayalam historical epic set against the backdrop of India’s freedom struggle.Ninne Pelladatha (1996): Tabu won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu for Ninne Pelladatha. It was her second collaboration with Nagarjuna after Sisindri.Iruvar (1997): In Mani Ratnam’s political epic with real-life parallels, Tabu played Senthamarai, an educated village girl who becomes the second wife of Tamizhselvan (Prakash Raj).Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000): In this adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Tabu garnered praise for playing Sowmya, the jinxed Elinor Dashwood-equivalent alongside Aishwarya Rai.Astitva (2000): Mahesh Manjrekar’s film tells the story of Aditi Pandit (Tabu), a woman accused of adultery by her husband. The film was praised for its resolute feminist perspective.Aabar Arayne (2003): Tabu’s only Bengali-language feature followed characters from Satyajit Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri as they returned to the titular forest after thirty years.The Namesake (2006): Tabu reunited with Maqbool co-star Irrfan Khan on Mira Nair’s The Namesake. An adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel, the film marked Tabu’s first international venture.Life of Pie (2012): Tabu and Adil Hussain played parents to the titular Piscine/Pi. The adventure survival drama was directed by Ang Lee and won four Academy Awards.