Timeless treasure Tabu takes you on a journey of an R&AW operative-Krishna Mehra, who is assigned a very crucial mission which leaves her juggling between her dual identity as a spy and a lover

In Netflix’s gripping espionage thriller ‘Khufiya’, Tabu masterfully embodies the multifaceted character of Krishna Mehra, a seasoned R&AW operative. Through Tabu‘s portrayal, she navigates the intricate layers of this character, gradually revealing KM’s inner world, motivations, and the consequences of her hidden truths.

Based on the novel ‘Escape to Nowhere’ written by ex Chief of the Counter Espionage Unit of R&AW, Amar Bhushan, Khufiya takes you on a journey of a R&AW operative-Krishna Mehra, who is assigned a very crucial mission which leaves her juggling between her dual identity as a spy and a lover. In this special and much awaited interview, we talk to senior actor Tabu about her latest number, Khufiya.

Masala: How was your experience of working with Ali Fazal, Tabu, what qualities as a co-star in him do you admire? Tabu: Okay so one, Ali Fazal was a treat to work with. He’s so good. He’s such a good actor. And he has so much ease about his, uh, the approach to work. And I really really liked that quality about him that he’s so easy to be – I mean, he’s so easy. As a person he’s so easy on set off set. It’s just so so – it’s been such a treat to work with him because he’s really into himself and so delightful.

Masala: How was your experience of working with Vishal on a thriller?

Tabu: It was different because the earlier two films I’ve done with Vishal Maqbool and Haider were very different kinds of settings space, cultural background. This was completely different. And it was yes a different genre that I did with him. It was fantastic. As it is always with him, whatever the genre. It was interesting because we were both you know, I was exploring this, this world with him it’s a different it’s a completely like, different Vishal Bhardwaj film. And it was really interesting for me. I was joking with him one day saying that it’s the first time that I was wearing western clothes in any of his films, jeans and jackets and shorts. Yeah, but it was a very very different experience.

Masala: Do you think OTT has helped progress/regress the cinematic future of the film industry?

Tabu: I don’t know. I can’t really make conclusions like has OTT progressed or regrets regressed. The cinematic future of the film industry it’s a very, very, very big discussion and it’s a very big statement to make either ways. It’s brought in a lot of changes, that’s for sure. That’s for everyone to see. It’s brought in a lot many actors directors, script writers, music directors, lyric writers, costume designers, you know. I’m sure in all departments, we have a lot more people working in the entertainment industry because of that, but I mean, I think I still feel that films have a different space. The OTT has a different space. Of course, there’s always going to be you know, crossovers between the both in terms of narrative stories and all of that, but it’s not. We can’t We can’t really tell how either of them has impacted the other.

Masala: You have a stellar career — if you were to give one advice to young actresses today, what would it be?

Tabu: My one advice to younger actresses. I don’t like giving advice. I don’t think I’m in a position to. I mean, I don’t consider that but I mean, I would, I would say, enjoy every bit of this creative process with your work and not to take anything so seriously. Not the highs, not the lows and just do your thing.

Masala: Khufiya is based on real events — how did you approach bringing authenticity to your role in a film with a real-world espionage backdrop?

Tabu: Yes, because it’s based on true events and the person who wrote who wrote the book, Mr. Amar Bhushan was always, you know, accessible to us. And we had conversations with him and Vishal and I and you know, we both spoke to them and got a sense of you know, how things work and how the officers actually are. You know, some parts are very, very different from what we see quote unquote spies in movies as and it was really refreshing and interesting to understand what their lives are and how they go about doing their work and what all becomes a part of their life and how they conduct themselves and how they’re supposed to literally live in the world and what are their values and principles and behind all of that, of course, there is always the human being. So of course, Vishal sir has also explored the human aspect and the relationship aspect of the officers, which I think adds that interesting element to the film and the story. So it’s not just about the role or their job. It’s also about who they are in their lives.

Masala: Have you changed your approach to selecting scripts now in your career than when you started out?

Tabu: Not really, my approach hasn’t changed in terms of the kind of role that I, you know, would stay away from or what I would love to do. Of course, it’s always organic so it will always depend on the kind of project that comes my way. I think I’m very clear about what I want to do and what I don’t want to do but I the only thing is that I’m little more choosy and selective about the people that I’m going to be working with. Because, for me as Tabu, that is most important because I think that forms the biggest part of your experience on any project in any field. So it’s important for me to know or to be okay with who I’m going to be working with. And not, you know, it’s not just limited to doing a great role.

Masala: Out of the three times that you have collaborated with Vishal Bhardwaj, in Haider, Maqbool, and now, Khufiya, which character remains the closest to your heart and why?

Tabu: Maqbool will be my it’ll be closest to my heart because it was the beginning of a new journey for me as an actor as a person. In my own personal journey, it redefined so many things about cinema for me about acting, about collaborating with actors. It just gave me a completely fresh insight to many things because it changed and more than changed it added so many more dimensions to, you know, to how I would approach my work in the future. So it really marked the beginning of a very, very important journey for me.