love to do a film with Nag again:Tabu

She lives life on her own terms and doesn’t believe in talking about her relationships unless necessary.

That’s Hyderabad’s very own Tabassum Hashmi for you (better known as Tabu). Winner of two National Awards, seven Filmfares and with 20-odd years in the film industry to her credit, Tabu has an uncanny habit of picking up unconventional roles and essaying them with effortless ease. “I’ve always been selective. No matter what people say, if I am convinced about a role, I pick it up,” she says, adding that this “philosophy extends to her life and relationships” too.

After her critically acclaimed Cheeni Kum everyone raved about her sizzling screen chemistry with Amitabh Bachchan. Tabu says the chemistry was really all about sharing a “human bond that goes beyond work”. She’s “eagerly waiting” for the Legend of Kunal to take off, so that she can work with Big B again. If in Cheeni Kum she fell for a man who’s older than her dad, in Legend of Kunal she’s going to seduce Arjun Rampal, a younger man who’s her stepson. And in Toh Baat Pakki she plays an elder sister with a fiercely protective streak. It’s also a role that has been inspired by Tabu’s own experiences and her rapport with her sister Farah who “was fiercely protective about me throughout. She was ready to fight my battles. When I was doing this film I understood what it’s like to be in her shoes.”

So, when’s her next Telugu film hitting the screens? “I’d love to do a film with Nag (Nagarjuna) again. Working with him is like a picnic. I am waiting for a really good script, I would not want to waste our pairing on something that’s not outstanding.”

Didn’t Nag announce in a TV chat show that Tabu was precious to him? And also is there more to the peck on the cheek at the recent Filmfare Awards? “For the past few years people have been speculating about us. I’m not getting into details. What you see is what you get,” she laughs as she signs off.