Tabu has always chosen roles that truly connect with her, stayed away from unnecessary drama and spoken with an honesty rarely seen among celebrities. In a recent interview, she spoke openly about ageing, the pressure women in cinema face and why she never learned to give safe and careful answers like most people in the industry do.
Tabu on society’s obsession with a woman’s age
In a candid chat with Harper’s Bazaar India, Tabu touched upon a topic that hits close to home for many women in the film industry, pointing out how society tends to obsess over a woman’s age far more than the woman herself ever does. “People are more worried about your age than you are yourself. They want to show you the mirror, as though you don’t have one at home,” she said.
Tabu on why ageing is not an overnight change
She pushed back against the idea that ageing is some kind of dramatic, overnight change, explaining that it happens slowly and steadily over time, and everyone who has lived through it knows this better than anyone else. “The person answering that question hasn’t aged overnight. We experience it every single day. It’s not like one day someone wakes up at 20 and next day they turn 45,” she added.
Tabu reveals the industry advice she never followed
The actress also shared an interesting insight about how things work in the film industry when it comes to saying no to a project. She revealed that people around her often advised her not to be too honest when turning down a film, and that the general expectation was to avoid giving a real opinion about a script and simply blame it on busy schedules instead. “You should not give a real reason for not doing a film,” she said while recalling the advice she received. “Give the excuse of dates and walk away. I didn’t understand that. If I don’t like the script, I don’t like it. And I said so,” she added.
Tabu to reunite with Nagarjuna after 28 years in ‘King100’
On the work front, Tabu has an exciting lineup of projects ahead. She was recently seen in ‘Bhooth Bangla’ alongside Akshay Kumar, a horror-comedy directed by Priyadarshan that hit theatres on April 17, 2026. She is also part of one of the most talked-about projects in Telugu cinema, starring in Nagarjuna Akkineni‘s 100th film, tentatively titled ‘King100’. The film marks a reunion of the two actors after 28 long years, having last shared screen space in the 1998 Telugu film ‘Aavida Maa Aavide’, and before that in the 1996 blockbuster ‘Ninne Pelladata’. Tabu began shooting for the film in April 2026, and the project is being directed by Naveen (Ra) Karthik, who is best known for helming Made in Korea for Netflix.
