She's been around for decades, yet Tabu remains Bollywood's most delicious mystery - equal parts enigma, rebellion, and pure, unapologetic talent.

Admit it - most people think they know Tabu. Art-house darling. Commercial hit-maker. Perpetually single (and wickedly amused by that fact). But you roll through these trivia lists and it's the same-old: Padma Shri winner, two National Awards, dazzling in every genre. Familiar, right? Hang on. Her story is tangled, surprising, and spiked with flashes of humor - just like her smile in those “blink and you’ll miss it” candid shots.

As Tabu turns another year older, let's unravel the mysteries that make Tabu so amazingly special!

Unexpected Entry

One of the most versatile and most loved actresses of our times #Tabu turns 50 today.

What are your favourite performances of her?#HappyBirthdayTabu pic.twitter.com/5ddaG3NBcS

— CinemaRare (@CinemaRareIN) November 4, 2020

(@CinemaRareIN/X)

Tabu began acting before most of us figured out which shoe goes on which foot. Her child gig in “Bazaar” at age ten - a tiny role, but imagine being on set when your friends are at playgrounds. Later, in Dev Anand’s “Hum Naujawan,” she was just a teenager. Blockbuster debut in “Prem”? It famously took eight years to finish. Eight! By the time it was released, Tabu practically needed a retrospective. The thing bombed; Bollywood shrugged. Still, ask anyone - Tabu rarely looks back.

Vegetarian By Choice

Tabu as Nina Vermal in “Cheeni Kum”, 2007

(@readingmurakami/Instagram)

Ever seen her devouring biryani in “Cheeni Kum”? Pure acting, folks. In real life, Tabu’s a proud vegetarian - even with her mom being a legendary cook, she wouldn’t budge for chicken, no matter how tempting the aroma. Commitment or stubbornness? Maybe both.

The Eight-Year Heartbreak

Prem, 1995

(@bollywood.nostalgia/Instagram)

Back in '95, Boney Kapoor paired Tabu with his younger brother Sanjay for “Prem” - a film that dragged on for nearly eight years. Disaster at the box office? Absolutely. But the real wreckage happened off-screen. Tabu and Sanjay had been dating; her first serious thing, actually. Then silence. By the wrap, they weren't even speaking. Sanjay later confessed to The Times Of India: "I was dating Tabu initially, but by the end - nothing". The reason? He'd been seeing Maheep on the side

The Hashmi-Azmi Connection

Tabu with Shabana Azmi

(The Times of India)

This isn’t just a cameo in the family tree - Tabu’s Bollywood DNA runs deep. Her elder sister, Farah Naaz, was a 90s screen regular. The legendary Shabana Azmi? That’s “auntie”. Cinematographer Baba Azmi? Also an uncle. Imagine the family WhatsApp group.

Hair Today, Hair Tomorrow

(@tabu.fp/Instagram)

Here’s a peculiar detail: She’s famously never experimented with her hair. Always long. Always black. No wild cuts or surprise colors - even after every stylist in Mumbai tried to tempt her. You’d think stars crave reinvention, but not Tabu. “My hair’s my armour,” she joked (maybe only half-joking).

Private, Yet Everywhere

(@farrokhchothia/Instagram)

She’s everywhere and nowhere. Rare interviews. Zero social media blather. You get more cryptic answers than actual facts. Why so private? Ask her and you’ll probably get a shrug followed by a one-liner worthy of a noir film. Tabu moves at her own speed. It's what makes her unpredictable - and why directors still chase her for complex roles.

International Acclaim 

Tabu in Life of Pi (top) and The Namesake (bottom).

She’s been on-screen with Mira Nair, Ang Lee, and in Hollywood projects like “The Namesake” and “Life of Pi,” but never brags about it. She also appeared in the BBC period drama “A Suitable Boy” (2020) and in the prequel series “Dune: Prophecy.”

Romance Rumors and Running Jokes

(@glamsham/Instagram)

Is she single by choice? There’s that infamous line: blame Ajay Devgn. The two grew up together in Mumbai’s Juhu and he’s “responsible” for Tabu’s relational status. It’s the kind of inside joke that you only hear at Bollywood dinner tables - except she spills it for everyone, just to see jaws drop.

Did You Know?

Tabu and Ajay Devgn in Auto Mein Kaha Dum Tha (2024)

(@wordsbyaashvi/Instagram)

She claims she can’t cry onscreen without glycerine. It’s true. Despite those intense, tear-jerker roles, Tabu swears by a dab of glycerine for cinematic weeping.

She’s got north of a hundred pet names in the industry: Tabs, Tubby, Tobler… the list goes on.

Tabu studied at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, before throwing herself into movies. Her path was full of stumbles - flops, forgettables, and Bollywood politics. But she never played safe, always nudged her scripts into edgier territory.

Tabu’s journey? It reads like a novel. Funny, flawed, reluctant - and always on her own terms. That's why she's Bollywood's most stubborn original. A very Happy Birthday to you, Tabu!