Bollywood actor Tabu’s Vogue photoshoot upsets Indian fans

Fans call Vogue’s styling of Tabu ‘lazy and unflattering’

A celebrated Indian actor’s recent photoshoot with Vogue India has drawn the ire of fans who are unhappy with her styling.

Tabu, 52, made her debut in Bollywood in 1991, and is known for her considerable range.

While Tabu is known primarily for her work in Bollywood, she is known internationally for her work with Indian-American director Mira Nair in The Namesake and Ang Lee’s Life of Pi, as well as her role in the BBC’s TV adaptation of the Vikram Seth novel A Suitable Boy.

She has acted in a variety of roles in multiple Indian languages and is a recipient of two National film awards, which is awarded by the government of India, as well as the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.

Her fans were upset with the actor’s Vogue digital cover released on Vogue India’s official Instagram. One user said, “These are the photos you delete”, while another questioned how the photos passed “the editorial check”.

Fans have also criticised the styling and the minimalism of the shoot, with comments on the Instagram photos comparing it to another Bollywood legend Rekha’s cover shoot with Vogue Arabia.

In an interview with The Independent, Tabu spoke about women’s representation on TV, saying, “The representation of women is changing, not just in Bollywood, but in every industry and going in different directions where female representation is concerned. We have come a long way in giving multi-layered roles to women. This is just the start”.

Tabu, who is currently promoting her heist comedy Crew, spoke of her childhood and her first brush with cinema in her interview with Vogue India: “My grandmother was obsessed with Utpal Dutt, particularly in this one film where his character wins the lottery and dies of excitement, which affected her a lot.”

The Independent has reached out to Vogue India for a comment.