Tabu

Tabassum Fatima Hashmi was born on 4 November 1971 to Jamal Ali Hashmi and Rizwana in a Hyderabadi Muslim family. Her father was an actor in Pakistan, with some well-received roles in the 1970s, who moved back to India in order to live with her mother. He left the family when she was three. Her mother was a school-teacher and her maternal grandparents were retired professors who ran a school. Her grandfather, Mohammed Ahsan, was a professor of mathematics, and her grandmother was a professor of English Literature.

Tabu did her schooling at St. Ann's High School, Vijayanagar Colony, Hyderabad. She moved to Mumbai in 1983 and studied at St. Xavier's College for 2 years. She is the niece of Shabana Azmi, Tanvi Azmi and Baba Azmi and the younger sister of actress Farah Naaz. She is reluctant to discuss her personal life in the media.

As a child, Tabu had an uncredited appearance at the age of 11 in Bazaar (1982) and in Hum Naujawan (1985) at the age of 14—she played Dev Anand's daughter in the latter.

Tabu's personal life has been subject to substantial media speculation due to her decision to remain unmarried unlike most of her contemporaries and has remained reticent when asked about her choice. When asked about her decision, Tabu said she "was working and wanted to see the world on my own. If I'd given it all up, it'd have been a disservice to me and my abilities. An ideal relationship is when both individuals grow by being in each other's lives. Relationships are meant to liberate, not stifle".