Life And Works Of Veteran Actor Tabassum Govil- A Saga Of Memories In Pics

Veteran actress Tabassum Govil passed away on Friday, in a hospital in Mumbai, after suffering from two consecutive cardiac attacks. She was 78.

She began her career as a child actor and was known as Baby Tabassum. (Image Source: Instagram)

She got her break in the industry in the late 1940s with movies like Nargis, Mera Suhaag, Manjhdhar, and Bari Behen. She even had a role in the 1952 movie Baiju Bawra and appeared in Mughal-e-Azam as Meena Kumari's younger self. Later, as an adult, she appeared in movies like Chameli Ki Shaadi (1986), Naache Mayuri (1986), Sur Sangam (1985), and Gambler (1971). (Image Source: Instagram)

She eventually pursued a career in television, serving as the host of Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan, the country's first chat show. From 1972 to 1993, it aired on the national channel Doordarshan, where she conducted interviews with actors and TV stars. (Image Source: Instagram)

Sharing one incident with Amitabh Bachchan, she had once said, “I will tell you an incident with Amitabh Bachchan which is not related to Phool Khile… I have done many live shows with him and Kalyanji-Anandji in India and abroad. This took place at Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai. I was sitting in a wheelchair and conducting the show as my leg was fractured. Suddenly, there was a fire and that caused a stampede.” She then continued with her story and said that she started shouting for help but nobody responded. “They were all running for their lives. Then Amit ji came. He took me to a safe place. Today, I am alive because of him.” (Image Source: Instgram)

Celebs were first hesitant to come on the show, according to Tabassum, who stated this in a 2016 interview with Hindustan Times. However, as the show gained popularity, celebs started to line up outside their offices. “Initially, some artists would act snobbish about coming on the show, but once it became popular, the biggest names would queue up at the Doordarshan office for a slot. It was as much of a craze then as social media is today,” Tabassum had recalled. (Image Source: Instagram)

As online media became more prevalent, Tabassum created the YouTube channel Tabassum Talkies, where she offered some little-known facts about famous actors, filmmakers, artists, and other iconic personalities. There are around 8 lakh subscribers to the channel.