Tabu, Mother of Versatility

In The Namesake (2006), before entering the room with her prospective husband and in-laws, a young Ashima (Tabu) tries on his shoes — stamped with “Made in the U.S.A.” into the inner sole — with a mischievous smirk. Once she arrives in the living room where they sit, she quickly becomes shy. “Will you be able to go halfway across the world, live in a cold city with freezing winters? Will you be able to live so far away from your home and family?” her father-in-law asks. Her eyes, which have been pointing down, suddenly flutter up. Her smile returns. “Unhi thakben na?” she asks. Won’t he be there? In one moment, she leaves everyone speechless; for her husband’s family isn’t concerned about how good her English is, or how kind and respectful she is. It’s whether she has the will to adapt and even thrive so far away from what is familiar.

In a way, that is exactly what Tabu, the actor, has done all her life. Critics call her one of India’s, if not the world’s, most versatile actors. She can play a 34-year-old courting a man in his 60s, a scheming flight attendant, a Kashmiri widow who must do what it takes, a powerful sister who instigates the Bene Gesserit, and more with equal ease. But when I ask her about her secret sauce, Tabu laughs and tells me that any actor who believes they have one often can’t articulate it. On her part, she tries not to overengineer it. “I think if I plan to go out and swim, I’m sure it’ll start snowing in Bombay. That is my relationship with plans,” she joked.