Tabu is the stage name of Tabassum Fatima Hashmi — from the Arabic tabassum (smile) — "smile of fortune." A modern American baby name in the broader Sanskrit-Arabic Indian heritage aesthetic. Tabu (Tabassum Hashmi, born 1971) — iconic Indian Bollywood actress; widely considered one of the greatest Indian actresses of all time; over 70 leading roles in major Indian films across 35+ years; her foundational films include **Maachis (1996) — National Film Award for Best Actress — Chandni Bar (2001) — second National Film Award for Best Actress — Astitva (2000), Hu Tu Tu (1999), Cheeni Kum (2007), Haider (2014) opposite Shahid Kapoor — Filmfare Best Actress — and the iconic Andhadhun (2018) opposite Ayushmann Khurrana — Filmfare Best Supporting Actress; Padma Shri (India's 4th-highest civilian honor) — 2011; her foundational role in Mira Nair's iconic The Namesake (2006) — opposite Irrfan Khan — based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Jhumpa Lahiri; Crew (2024) opposite Kareena Kapoor and Kriti Sanon; her foundational range across art-house, mainstream, and international cinema is widely studied as a foundational example of modern Indian acting; over 5 million Instagram followers. Princess Tabu** — Sanskrit-Arabic heritage naming.
Featured throughout Indian cinema.
Tabu reduces to seven.