Tabu’s Maachis National Award win left Sonali Kulkarni 'jealous and angry': 'What you don’t get, you crave…'

Long before she became widely regarded as one of Indian cinema’s most accomplished actresses, Tabu was largely recognised as a mainstream commercial star. In the early phase of her career, she appeared in films such as the Telugu action-romance Coolie No. 1 (1991) and the Bollywood drama Jeet (1996), which brought her visibility and box office success.

That trajectory shifted in 1997.

When Tabu received her first National Film Award for Best Actress for Gulzar’s 1996 political thriller Maachis, it marked a clear turning point in how her work was perceived within the industry. The recognition cemented her position as a powerful, performance-driven actor. But while the moment was seen as a breakthrough for Tabu, it also coincided with a period of disappointment for fellow actor Sonali Kulkarni.

Kulkarni had also been in contention for the same honour that year for her performance in Amol Palekar’s critically acclaimed Daayra (1996). Looking back, she has spoken candidly about how strongly the outcome affected her at the time.

“I was jealous of everyone who were winning awards,” she told Indian Express's Screen. She added that her films would repeatedly reach the final rounds of the National Film Awards, only to fall short. “Every year, my films were considered as the best chosen films in the final rounds of the National Awards… and I was getting disappointed. And that was the time when I really wanted a National Award. I was winning others, but what you don’t get, you crave for that the most,” she explained.

Recalling her immediate reaction to Tabu’s win, Kulkarni said she initially rationalised it in a way that reflected her own frustration. “She’s from the industry na! That was a very famous line,” she said, referring to Tabu’s family connection to veteran actor Shabana Azmi.

Rather than letting that feeling persist, however, Kulkarni chose to engage with the work that had won the award. She went to watch Maachis, a decision she now describes as unexpectedly grounding.

“I was so angry and jealous of Tabu that I finally went and watched Maachis. When I watched her films, it helped me deal with the insecurities or the desperation I had,” she said.

She added that Tabu’s performance, which she described as “so sleek”, helped her reassess her own emotional state and approach to her work. “Her performance not only gave me joy, but also had so much command it helped me come to terms with my own life and abilities,” Kulkarni noted. Over time, she continued watching Tabu’s films, including Astitva (2000) and Chandni Bar (2001), saying she “fell in love with her every time”.