Page 39 - Seniorstoday April 2022 Issue
P. 39
failing him. When Tabassum greeted him, become a great-grandmother to a beautiful
he smiled but looked bewildered as to her baby girl we have named Meher, because
identity. Till Saira Banu reminded him she really is a gift from God.” Meher is
gently, ‘Yeh aapki Baby Tabassum hai’, at her only son Hoshang’s granddaughter,
which the fog cleared and he beamed and born in February 2022, to his daughter
embraced her saying: ‘Pehle kyon nahin Khushi. “Can you imagine,” she crowed
kaha, Baby Tabassum! melodiously, “I am the only great-
grandmother in the industry who is still
working!”
Tabassum married Vijay Govil, a
gentleman who chose to himself avoid the
limelight as his young bride orbited her
way through the celebrity galaxy with
her brilliance. To date, he remains an
enigma, but as Tabassum makes it a point
to impress, “My staunchest and strongest
support. Unke bina toh kuch nahin ho
paata,” she insists, coyly referring to him as
‘Hoshang ke papa’.
Tabassum continued to act in films as an
adult, but Phool Khile Hain was a chapter
of an entirely new book in her life, and it
would lead to a host of other professional
roles for her. Entirely conceived, created
and conceptualised by herself, Tabassum
pioneered the way for the Celebrity Talk
show concept in India, and there is still a
Tabassum’s early childhood also morphed record to be broken with the popularity and
her into the first ever Radio Jockey in longevity of the show. (Koffee with Karan
the country, where she did shows on will not be spoken of or considered in the
Akashwani. As a child artiste, Baby same magnitude as PKHGG). It remains
Tabassum did numerous films and played unmatched on these two counts, especially
younger versions of leading actresses in an era long before electronic media or the
like Meena Kumari, Nargis and the like. digital space had opened up. “Main khud
One of the memorable songs picturised har show likhti thi aur plan karti thi. We
on her was Bachpan ke din Bhula na dena were not so forward technologically those
(sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Shamshad days. But it was the age of relationships like
Begum). Indeed, it is because she has we don’t have or nurture today. Har cheez
retained the child in her always, that relationships ke dam par hota tha, na ki
she remains youthful in thought, action aaj ke jaise jahan sirf paise bolta hai. Aaj
and voice even today. “Before we begin kal it’s ‘Paisa pheko, tamasha dekho’ only.
talking,” chirped Tabassum in sheer joy, Un dinon, land line phones ka time tha. I
“I have to tell you that I have recently used to pick up the phone and call people
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #34 | APRIL 2022 39
