Tabu (actress)
Indian actress
Tabassum Fatima Hashmi (born 4 November 1971), professionally known as Tabu, is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Widely regarded as one of Hindi cinema's most accomplished actresses, she is known for portraying complex, often troubled women, in both mainstream and independent films. She has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards, seven Filmfare Awards (including a record five Critics Awards for Best Actress), and two Filmfare Awards South. In 2011, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award.
Tabu made her first credited appearance as a teenager in Dev Anand's Hum Naujawan (1985) and had her first leading role in the Telugu film Coolie No. 1 (1991). In 1994, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her performance in the Hindi action drama Vijaypath. She received the National Film Award for Best Actress for portraying a young woman affected by the Punjab insurgency in the political thriller Maachis (1996). That same year, she enjoyed commercial success with Ninne Pelladata, Kadhal Desam, Saajan Chale Sasural, and Jeet. Further box-office hits included the dramas Iruvar and Border (both 1997), Biwi No.1 and Hum Saath-Saath Hain (both 1999), as well as Kandukondain Kandukondain and Hera Pheri (both 2000).
“Tabu (actress)” enters the record as indian actress. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Tabu, actress and Indian can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Tabu (actress)” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Tabu, actress and Indian provides the most credible route into that argument.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q158233. VIAF identifies the subject as 44511793. The Library of Congress control number is nr2001012932. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1971, 2011, 1985 and 1991.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Tabu (actress)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Tabu (actress) primary sources, Tabu (actress) archive and Tabu research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Tabu (actress)”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Tabu (actress)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.