Tabu says women are judged more harshly for ageing in films

Actor Tabu has never been someone who follows the expected rules of the film industry. Over the years, the acclaimed actor has built a reputation for choosing roles on her own terms, staying away from unnecessary noise and maintaining a level of honesty that is rare in celebrity culture. In a recent conversation with Harper’s Bazaar India, Tabu spoke candidly about ageing, the pressure women face in cinema and why she never learnt how to give safe industry answers. Reflecting on the way women in films are constantly judged, Tabu pointed out how society often places far more importance on a woman’s age than the woman herself does. “People are more worried about your age than you are yourself. They want to show you the mirror, as though you don’t have one at home,” she said.
The actor explained that ageing is not some sudden transformation the way people make it out to be. Instead, it is something people experience gradually every single day. “The person answering that question hasn’t aged overnight. We experience it every single day. It’s not like one day someone wakes up at 20 and next day they turn 45,” she added. The actor also admitted that she was often advised not to be brutally honest while rejecting films. According to Tabu, people in the industry expected actors to avoid giving direct opinions on scripts and instead use “date issues” as an excuse. “You should not give a real reason for not doing a film,” she said while recalling the advice she received. “Give the excuse of dates and walk away. I didn’t understand that. If I don’t like the script, I don’t like it. And I said so.”