‘Don’t have set image of myself in my head’

Relishing a horror comedy in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Tabu says she has avoided being typecast by pursuing different characters and genres

Why don’t we see her more often on screen? That’s a recurring thought every time we watch a Tabu film. The actor is known to be highly selective about her work, resulting in an enviable repertoire. The latest addition to her filmography is the runaway hit, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. 

One may presume that Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani’s horror comedy is not exactly up Tabu’s alley, but she relished the experience of playing a double role. “Playing this part was tough. It was a challenge, technically and cinematically,” she begins. “You have to act for two people in front of the motion-control camera, so you have to be precise with your position. It was difficult for me, as well as the DoP [director of photography]. We wanted to shoot the scenes with some new dimensions. We had to consider so many factors when filming these sequences.”

The poster of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2

In an industry that is quick to typecast its actors, Tabu stands out as an exception. She is as much at home in a Mira Nair creation, as she is in Anees Bazmee’s massy entertainer. “People have not been able to box me. Different kinds of directors come to me, believing that I suit the character [being offered], and I have tried to live up to that expectation. In my head, I don’t have a set image of myself. I have never typecast myself in my mind. For me, it’s much more exciting to explore different characters.”

She has rarely gone wrong in her pursuit of different worlds and fascinating stories. Most of her outings — be it a comedy in Golmaal Again (2017), a crime thriller in AndhaDhun (2018) or an actioner in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) — have struck gold. It’s that discerning eye for scripts at work, we guess. But Tabu says she goes purely by instinct. “You can’t analyse the creative process. Even after over-analysing [a story], you don’t know if it will work or not. We can’t make a hit film through analysis. 

After a point, thinking will take a back-seat, and your perspective and creative instincts will take charge. [When shooting], I am 100 per cent present in that moment.”

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