Happy Birthday Tabu!

Tabu was born in 1971 as Tabassum Hashmi (Tabu Hashmi) in Hyderabad, where she completed her schooling. She first appeared on the big screen in Bazaar (1980) and later played Dev Anand's daughter in Hum Naujawan (1985). However, first big screen role came in the form of the Telugu movie Coolie No. 1 (1991), where she was cast opposite Venkatesh. Her debut in the Bollywood arena was Pehla Pehla Pyaar (1994) which did not grab eyeballs but the same year saw the release of Vijaypath opposite Ajay Devgn. The film made her a recipient of the Filmfare award for Best Female Actress Debut. Her career saw a few unsuccessful ventures thereafter but she once again found fame in Saajan Chale Sasural and Jeet.

Tabu has proved her mettle as an actress in movies such as Astitva, Chandni Bar, Virasat, Maqbool, Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities and Cheeni Kum. She has also performed in regional movies and acted in Telugu, Tamil, Malyalam, Marathi and Bengali films. Tabu has tasted international success as well when she made her Hollywood debut in Mira Nair's The Namesake (2007) followed by the critically acclaimed Life of Pi (2012) by Ang Lee. She has also left a mark in supporting roles in films such as Fanaa, Border, Saathiya and in multi-starrer films Biwi No. 1 and Hum Saath-Saath Hain.

Tabu not only has two National awards for Best Actress in her possession for her roles in Maachis and Chandni Bar, but also holds the record for the Filmfare Critic Award for Best Female Performer in Virasat, Hu Tu Tu, Astitva and Cheeni Kum, taking her tally to four. She is also a life member of the International Club of Asian Academy of Film and Television.

To celebrate Tabu's birthday, here is a mini-playlist of her greatest hits: