Tata Tabassum

Hindi cinema has lost its smile Veteran actortelevision host Tabassum whose association with the screen was as long as Indiarsquos Independence has passed away Tabassum died on Friday following a cardiac arrest She was 78ldquoShe was admitted to a hospital due to gastro problems She suffered from two cardiac arrests in an interval of two minutes and passed away around 840 pmrdquo her son Hoshang Govil said adding that the funeral took place on Saturday Her family has organised a prayer service scheduled for Monday to ldquocelebrate her legacy and beautiful smilerdquoAt a young age Tabassum entered the industry with the screen name lsquoBaby Tabassumrsquo in the film Nargis 1947 Her screen presence ensured that she soon became the first choice for younger versions of then prominent actors like Nargis Deedar 1951 and Meena Kumari Baiju Bawra 1952 Tabassum took a gap from the screen and then returned in the rsquo60s as an adult actor But her relationship with the big screen wasnrsquot the same anymore Thatrsquos when Tabassum took to television which was at its nascent stage in the country She loved movies not the medium So in 1972 Tabassum began hosting Indian TVrsquos first talk show Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan which featured her interviewing film starsAlso ReadSharmila Tagore Tabassum knew how to hold an audienceAnil Kapoor who featured alongside Tabassum in the 1986 comedy Chameli Ki Shaadi which was also among her last film appearances shares he and his family were big fans of her talk show that they named their 1978 production starring Rishi Kapoor and Moushumi Chatterjee after the show ldquoThat was the impact of her show She was a lovely lady always cheerful and positive smiling and laughing vibrant and full of energy She was one of the pioneers of hosting showsrdquo Kapoor saysIt was a moment of honour for danceractor Sudha Chandran to feature alongside the yesteryear actor in her film Nache Mayuri 1986 Chandran claims she grew up watching Tabassumrsquos Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan The actor shot for Tabassum Talkies her YouTube channel a few days before the veteran actorrsquos sudden death ldquoAge was just a number for her She had so many anecdotes to share and was always full of life and cheer For me it was like a dream come true to sit and talk to someone with such an illustrious career Although it was 35 years ago that we worked on Nache Mayuri but I remember being so young and star struck at that time I couldnrsquot take my eyes off her You could listen to her endlessly because she had a great command over language and an unexpected innocencerdquoPopular television actor Indraneil Sengupta who played her grandson in the show Pyaar Ke Do Naam Ek Raadha Ek Shyaam 2006 remembers her as his grandmother even after the director said cut While it is common for senior actors to wear a sense of seriousness in their demeanour Tabassum always carried a childlike glee says Sengupta ldquoShe was fond of me and Barkha Sengupta his wife and costar She never had the aura of a senior actor and was always like a grandmother showering you with love There are many good people but rarely do you find someone who exudes positivity 247 Tabassum ji was that personrdquo he saysUnlike most actors of yore Tabassum always moved with the times and sought relevance She was also a connoisseur of cinema which made her seek a new audience in both old and young In 2015 she launched her YouTube channel Tabassum Talkies where she shared untold stories of iconic film artistesJourney in showbiz Nargis 1947 Deedar 1951 Baiju Bawra 1952 Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan 1972 MughaleAzam 1960 Tum Par Hum Qurban 1985 Naache Mayuri 1986 Pyaar Ke Do Naam Ek Raadha Ek Shyaam 2006 Ladies Special 2009 Tabassum Talkies