She is one of the most formidable actresses and has managed to enjoy a long run in the film industry touted to be male dominated but Tabu says her journey in Bollywood was not a cake walk.
The 44-year-old National award-winning actress, who started her career in early '80s, always wished things were not so hard for her.
"Bollywood has been a tough journey for me. I wish it was not so hard. Films are just a part of it. There is more you are experiencing, your life is open to public, anybody can say anything about you, those are the things that affected me a lot," Tabu told PTI.
The "Haider" actress, however, feels her profession shaped her personality.
"This world taught me a lot and influenced the way I became. The love, admiration and support I have received from so many people would not have been possible if I was not in this profession, that's a great side to it," she added.
The career span of a heroine is considered to be smaller than that of heroes but Tabu has managed to stay strong with constant on-screen performances. The actress credits her mother and the desire to survive for her long run.
"My mother has been my emotional anchor through out. She has always made it very easy for me. Apart from her, it was my survival instinct that made me stay. I have put in a lot of hard work to shape my career.
"Probably I am just getting repaid for the contribution and energy I have put in my profession. Plus, I have kept my doors open. If it is a great role I will do it. I will not leave a role because it is of a mother or a sister," she said.
Tabu has been a regular in movie adaptations of classics
including Macbeth (Maqbool), Hamlet (Haider) and recently Great Expectations (Fitoor). But rather than reading the novel and preparing for the role, the "Cheeni Kum" actress prefers to go by the script.
According to her, the trick helps her in getting rid of the baggage which comes while essaying such popular characters from literature.
"There is a lot of baggage when the character is from literature. Everybody has their own interpretation, opinion about how the character should be played. However, when the film comes everything becomes redundant.
"I have always approached the role according to the script. Because there are times when I will not even know the literature I might be doing. I don't feel the need to read the novel when I have a script. It really helps in getting away from the 'baggage'," she said.
