Tabu on Irrfan’s influence in her career: ‘I learnt to be completely true to my characters and myself’

Actress Tabu and the late actor Irrfan had starred in several memorable movies such as Haider, Maqbool, Talvar and The Namesake. Their performances in these films were elevated by their chemistry and recently Tabu opened up about what acting with Irrfan did to her career and life.

In a recent interview with Film Companion, she said that collaborating with the actor helped redefine her career. “I changed a lot after working with him,” she said, adding that he made her see things differently and through another perspective.

“I learnt to be completely true to my characters and myself, and bring that to my work,” explained the actress. Irrfan’s performance in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool, which had Tabu as the female protagonist, is still hailed as one of the best from the actor, who had passed away in 2020.

Tabu had previously credited Vishal for “transforming Irrfan’s screen persona” and turning a star out of him. In a social media post after Irrfan's demise, journalist Bhawana Somaaya had written that Irrfan had described Tabu as “his screen soulmate” and there was magic whenever the duo shared screen space.

Tabu, who had also worked with the actor in Life of Pi and Ghaath, too agreed with the sentiment in the recent interview, saying, “I can say what I shared with Irrfan on screen, I don’t know if I can and if I have shared that with anybody.”

The actress, who was last seen in Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani’s Bhool Bhulaiyya 2, has currently wrapped up shooting for Ajay Devgn’s Bholaa, which is the Hindi remake of Karthi’s Kaithi. The film is is also directed by the Singham star. The duo will also share screen space in the upcoming remake of Mohanlal’s Malayalam movie Drishyam 2, where the two would reprise their roles.