Big Comment/ When Tabu spoke about having 'no memory' of her father: Never really felt like meeting him

Tabu made her full-fledged debut at a young age in the film Hum Nuajawan in 1985. Through time, the actress has established he prowess by fetching box office numbers as well as winning prestigious accolades like the National Awards. While much is known about her work life, the actress has guarded her personal life with utmost caution. On the occasion of her 58th birthday today, November 4, take a look back at an interview where she opened up about her childhood and being raised by a single mother. 

Tabu reveals she was a ‘timid’ child with no voice 

On a rare occasion, Tabu opened up about her personal life during a 2015 interview with Simi Garewal on her show Rendezvous. Talking about her childhood, Tabu recalled how she spent most of her time with her mother since her father had divorced her. She also remembered staying with her maternal grandparents and being a ‘timid’ child. She said, “I had a great childhood, we lived in Hyderabad all our lives, I lived with my grandparents (mother’s parents) after my parents divorced. My mum was a teacher and so I ended up spending more time with her mother, and my grandmother would pray and read books, and I grew up with that. I was very timid, I did not have a voice, in fact, even after becoming a heroine, an actor, I did not have a voice.” 

Tabu’s parents got divorced when the actress was just 3 years old. Consequently, she grew up under the care of her mother and grandmother. She credited this to be the reason why she is ‘independent’. She also added, “I think it is intimidating for men to deal with women who have grown up in women-led households and have strong female influence on them because it is very unconventional (for them) that there are these females who don’t need men to support them. That kind of shatters their image of themselves as men, and as providers, and that is what most of them cannot come to terms with.”

Tabu talks about not being connected with her father 

In the same interview, the actress also revealed why she has not taken her father’s surname – Hashmi. For the unversed, Tabu often goes by the name Tabassum Fatima, which is her middle name. The actress reasoned that she was only three when her parents split up and her father went on to get married again and have two daughters from his second wife. She said, “I never really used it, I never thought it was important for me to use my father’s surname, it was always Tabassum Fatima, which was my middle name. In school, Fatima was my surname. I have no memories of him.” 

She continued that her sister has remained in touch with their father, but she has not maintained any contact. She said, “My sister has met him on occasion, but I have never really felt like meeting him. I am not curious about him, I am happy the way I am, the way I have grown up. I am very settled in my own life.”