After Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’s dream run at the box office (it raked in over Rs. 250 crores worldwide), Kartik Aaryan got India’s first McLaren GT (which costs north of Rs. 3.7 crores), has been labeled a hitmaker, and a savior of the Hindi films that have been doing abysmally poorly since theatres reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic. Bolstered by the film’s success, now a comic titled ‘Rooh Baba Ki Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ is being developed on his ghost-buster character. Sure, Aaryan deserves all this love. But isn’t Tabu—who was the film’s undisputable spine—worthy of it all too?
You know the answer. Tabu played a double role, that of twin sisters Anjulika and Manjulika. One Dr. Jekyll, the other Mr. Hyde. Aaryan may have given bankability and an easy breeziness to the-Anees Bazmee directorial; you saw him on the poster, during promotions, and you decided to buy the ticket. But what after you went inside the theatre? It was a Tabu show through and through. It was her unmatched talent and nuanced craft that grounded Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and convinced you to look past the ill-conceived plot, the misogynistic humor, the fat shaming, and the forced, awkward love story.
You may argue that Tabu has got her fair share of appreciation too. But who decides what is fair? And when has applause—alone, minus all the frills—been enough? You may add that she is continually getting good work. But an actor of her prowess and prolificity is bound to find meat even when the pastures are dry. I’m talking about stardom. The kind that makes you the first Indian to own a McLaren GT or makes you the face of every brand that matters or a headliner so popular that you need to request the audience to stop hooting so you can sit and talk about your stupendous success on stage.
However, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is not the first film that greatly benefitted from Tabu’s talent but let someone else take home the pie. Remember Sriram Raghavan’s 2018 thriller Andhadhun that finally broke the glass ceiling for Ayushmann Khurrana? Again, his contribution to the film is immeasurable and unquestionable but can you imagine any female actor other than Tabu as Simi Sinha?
In an industry as ruthless and sexist as Bollywood, Tabu has enjoyed the kind of longevity that has been the exclusive privilege of male actors thus far. She is arguably the only female actor to be cast as the leading lady across generations. She played Pankaj Kapur’s wife in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool, the 2003 adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth. In 2014, she starred in another Bhardwaj film, Haider (the subliminal Hindi adaptation of another Shakespearean classic Hamlet), as Shahid Kapoor’s mother Ghazala. Currently, Tabu is working with another father-son duo; she has been simultaneously shooting for Bhardwaj’s upcoming Khufiya and his son Aasmaan Bhardwaj’s directorial debut Kuttey. Bhardwaj Sr. reportedly changed his protagonist’s gender in Khufiya because he wanted Tabu to play it. Before Tabu, indispensable never looked this impressive.
There’s nothing worth applauding about leading Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’s credits with Tabu and featuring her name ahead of Aaryan’s. This is how it should be. After all, she is his senior by many decades and has a meatier role in the film. Even if we keep fame aside for a bit, what about money? Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is the story of Anjulika and Majulika—everything revolves around them. Did Tabu then get paid more than Aaryan? Again, you know the answer.
It’s 2022—a Shefali Shah headlines a true-crime drama series and it reigns on a global streaming giant, an Alia Bhatt gets pregnant at the peak of her career without a worry, and stories are getting reworked to cast a 51-year-old Tabu. All of this was unthinkable even 10 years ago. But despite all these heartening shifts, men’s pockets still continue to be bigger and their right to stardom at any age, exclusive.
It’s taken Hindi cinema 110 long years to be where it is today in all its flawed glory. How much longer till it begins to reward merit evenly irrespective of age or gender? I hope a Tabu or a Shefali Shah soon get a McLaren GT for all that they bring to the table. Or maybe a private jet. I hope it doesn’t take another 110 years.
When not reading books or watching films, Sneha Bengani writes about them. She tweets at @benganiwrites.
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