Prophecy actress Tabu ’empowered’ by women taking the lead

One of Bollywood’s biggest stars says women are taking more of a leading role in global film and TV productions.

Tabu appears in the latest episode of Dune: Prophecy – the series inspired by Frank Herbert’s classic novels and recent films.

Originally titled Dune: Sisterhood, Tabu says women, including director Anna Foerster, played a prominent role in the show both in front of and behind the camera.

“Being surrounded, feeling empowered and a feeling that you’re the ones running the show… it’s really, really nice to see that happening,” she tells BBC Asian Network News.

It’s a trend Tabu, a household name in Hindi cinema, feels is not just limited to international projects, but something she has noticed in her native industry.

“There’s been a big change all over the world where women are taking centre stage in many places.”

Tabu points to her role in the commercially successful Hindi film Crew, with a female lead cast of herself, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon.

“It’s part of the big change and it was also because the woman that I was working with have accomplished so much in their fields,” Tabu, 53, says.

“They have a grip, they have control over their craft.

“They have a sense of how to deal with people because I feel everything is about people management.

“That comes with experience, maturity and putting in a lot of work in so many years of their respective careers. So that felt comforting, safe, and you felt like you were being understood.”

Dune: Prophecy is described by critics as “a bracingly different sci-fi dominated by women at every level”, with fans in India delighted by Tabu’s appearance in the show.

While she says schedules aligned to enable her to play the role of Sister Francesca, the chance to work in a different environment with an international cast was appealing.

“I always love these experiences. Because I don’t live in that world.”

She says there were people from Serbia, Spain, the UK, Ukraine and Germany involved, which helped her understand different people and cultures.

“It was very exciting, adding much more fun and drama on screen, of course, but off screen,” she says.

“I got to interact with people from so many different parts of the world.”

Tabu’s career in the industry spans several decades, with acting credits including other Western productions such as Life of Pi and A Suitable Boy.

But despite everything she’s achieved, the actor says she’s keen to not look backwards.

“Because I feel like I’ve stuttered [if I do].

“[Sometimes I feel like] I’m still new and I’m still learning so much.

“The one thing that I feel extremely grateful and overwhelmed by is I got a tremendous amount of love and respect from people or from my audiences.”

And she says she remains motivated by the types of roles she plays, like Francesca.

“That I should be able to experience this character in a completely new way.

“That I should be able to present this character in a completely new way [for the audience].

“Cinema is over 100 years old, they’ve been seeing stuff happening, actors and characters.”

Tabu also says she saw the role as an opportunity to discover more about herself.

“Because acting is such a live experience, you’re lucky to not have the luxury of your work being stuck in one place.

“You still have to put yourself out there in front of the camera, and explore yourself and express yourself every day when you’re on a film.

“That’s the only tool you have. I look at it in a personal way.”

Listen to Ankur Desai’s show on BBC Asian Network live from 15:00-18:00 Monday to Thursday – or listen back here.