“No one can stop me if I wish to have a child out of wedlock. But I don’t wish to deprive the child of both the parents deliberately.” That’s quintessential Tabu, the actress and woman of substance who has never cared to do as society expects. She never had the child out of wedlock like she virtually threatened to, and she hasn’t tied the knot either. At 46, it doesn’t look like she will…but then here’s a woman you should never try to second-guess!

The Sanjay Chapter

Love has come calling often enough for this brilliant and natural actress. She and Sanjay Kapoor, the debutants of Prem rather predictably went on to fall in love during the course of filming. Their film took six full years in the making – the exact length of time that their relationship lasted. Marriage remained a dream as the pair went their separate ways, nowhere close to being friends.

Recommended Read: I want to try taking a break: Tabu

Attachment to Sajid

It was at this time that Tabu grew close to producer Sajid Nadiadwala. He was coping with the loss of his wife, actress Divya Bharti, who had fallen to her death in a freak accident. Tabu happened to be a dear friend of Divya’s and she and Sajid grew close after Divya’s demise. They worked together on his first home production, Jeet, during which time their relationship blossomed. Sajid later revealed that while theirs wasn’t a case of love at first sight, he and Tabu understood each other and later became attached. He even suggested that Tabu would have to deal with the fact that she was the second woman in his life – the late Divya would retain prime position. The couple seemed headed for matrimony when, without warning, Tabu apparently lost interest…

Fascination with Nagarjuna

The reason was reported to be the very handsome, charming and soft-spoken South star, Nagarjuna. They met on the sets of a film and there was no looking back. Their attraction became all too evident in 1998, when they starred together in the Telugu film Aavida…Maa Aavide. Drawn to each other like moth to flame, they disregarded the fact that he was married and she was in a committed relationship. Sajid realised he had no place in Tabu’s altered scheme of things any more. She shifted base from Bombay to drop anchor in Hyderabad, the city of her lover, and also the place where she had grown up. Tongues wagged and their attachment was the subject of constant speculation. By 2000, they were spotted together in public; it was even rumoured that he purchased a house for her right adjoining his own residence.

Nag’s wife Amala, whom he had wed after his first marriage had fallen apart, did not choose to make a spectacle of her injured feelings. Some said she trusted her husband blindly; others, that she had reconciled to the presence of the other woman in Nag’s life. In fact, Nag had shared that the two women got along well and that even his children were fond of Tabu.

All seemed well until…
The arrangement seemed to suit the concerned parties just fine, till eventually the relationship apparently ran its course. By 2012, the Tabu-Nag liaison had disintegrated just as quietly as it had started. His inability to offer marriage to Tabu was said to be the reason for their parting. Tabu suddenly appeared eager to pick up the threads of her film career in Mumbai. From catching up with friends at birthday parties, to taking salsa classes, it was as if she was determined to make up for the years during which she had loved and lost.
Her ex, Sajid stood up for her staunchly. “Why do people presume Tabu is a recluse and that she shuns company? I've known her from 1998. Yes, our equation changed. But the mutual feeling is still there. She has a priceless sense of humour. And when she's with friends-and there aren't too many of them-she is in her element. Tabu can have you in splits,” he vouched. He also revealed that she was a tad too sensitive and special for this industry, which demands you grow a thick skin – something she was not capable of.
So, is it safe to presume that Tabu is well and truly over her once-love? Maybe not. A source close to the actress had revealed that Nag was the only man Tabu had really loved. She would wander away but he would remain the centre of her existence, is how the source put it.

Five years ago Tabu had shut down a question about marriage with, “Jo nahi hai uske bare mein baat karne ka kya faayda?” Romantic yes, but too much of a realist to dream of what couldn’t be…