Tabu

Tabassum Fatima Hashmi (born 4 November 1971), professionally known as Tabu, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Widely regarded as one of Hindi cinema's most accomplished actresses, she is known for portraying complex, often troubled women, in both mainstream and independent films. She has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards, seven Filmfare Awards (including a record five Critics Awards for Best Actress), and two Filmfare Awards South. In 2011, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award.

Tabu made her first credited appearance as a teenager in Dev Anand's Hum Naujawan (1985) and had her first leading role in the Telugu film Coolie No. 1 (1991). In 1994, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her performance in the Hindi action drama Vijaypath. She received the National Film Award for Best Actress for portraying a young woman affected by the Punjab insurgency in the political thriller Maachis (1996). That same year, she enjoyed commercial success with Ninne Pelladata, Kadhal Desam, Saajan Chale Sasural, and Jeet. Further box-office hits included the dramas Iruvar and Border (both 1997), Biwi No.1 and Hum Saath-Saath Hain (both 1999), as well as Kandukondain Kandukondain and Hera Pheri (both 2000).

Tabu earned critical acclaim for her portrayals of complex women in the Malayalam film Kaalapani (1996), Virasat (1997), Hu Tu Tu (1999), and Astitva (2000), all of which won her Filmfare Critics' Awards; and as a bar dancer in Chandni Bar (2001), which earned her a second National Film Award. This acclaim continued with her performance of a woman in a relationship with an older man in the romantic comedy Cheeni Kum (2007), which garnered her a record fourth Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress, and in the Vishal Bhardwaj-directed Shakespearean adaptations—Maqbool (2004) and Haider (2014), the latter earning her the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Tabu expanded into American cinema with acclaimed dramas The Namesake (2006) and Life of Pi (2012), which were both box-office successes.