Kiran Bala Govil ( Sachdev; 9 July 1944 – 18 November 2022), known professionally as Tabassum, was an Indian actress, talk show host and YouTuber, who started her career as child actor Baby Tabassum in 1947. She later had a television career as the host of first TV talk show of

Indian television The television industry in India is very diverse and produces thousands of programs in many of the Indian languages. More than half of all Indian households own a television. As of 2016, the country had over 857 channels of which 184 were pay ...

, '' Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan''. It ran on National broadcaster

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...

from 1972 to 1993, wherein she interviewed film and TV personalities.

Early life and background

Tabassum was born in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, then known as Bombay, in 1944 to Ayodhyanath Sachdev, an Indian freedom fighter, and Asghari Begum, a freedom fighter, journalist and author. She explained how she was named in an interview in 2014:

My father named me 'Tabassum', keeping my mother's religious sentiments in mind. My mother kept my name 'Kiran Bala', keeping my father's religious sentiments in mind. My name on all official documents was 'Kiran Bala Sachdev'. After marriage, it became 'Kiran Bala Govil'. 'Tabassum' is my screen name; it means ''muskhurahat'' ( smile).

Career

Tabassum made her film debut as a child actor with ''Nargis'' (1947) followed by ''Mera Suhaag'' (1947), ''Manjhdhar'' (1947) and ''

Bari Behen ''Bari Behen'' is a 1949 Hindi drama film directed, written and produced by D. D. Kashyap, starring Suraiya, Rehman, Ullhas and Pran.Deedar'' (1951), directed by

Nitin Bose Nitin Bose (26 April 1897 – 14 April 1986) was an Indian film director, cinematographer and screenwriter of the nation's film industry. He was born in Calcutta and died in the same city. In the 1930s and early 1940s, he worked with New Theatre ...

, she played the childhood role of Nargis; the hit song ''Bachpan Ke Din Bhula Na Dena'' sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

and Shamshad Begum was picturised on her. Also, in the next year, she appeared in another important film '' Baiju Bawra'' (1952) directed by

Vijay Bhatt Vijay Bhatt (born Vrajlal Jagneshwar Bhatt; 12 May 1907 – 17 October 1993) was a producer-director-screenwriter of Hindi cinema, who made such films as '' Ram Rajya'' (1943), ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952), ''Goonj Uthi Shehnai'' (1959) and ''Himalay ...

, where she appeared in the childhood role of Meena Kumari. She also worked in the popular film Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon starring Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh. She also starred in the beautiful song 'Aji qibla mohtarma'. After a gap, she reentered films in adult roles, working as a character actress. Tabassum young

Tabassum hosted the first talk show of Indian television, ''Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan'', which ran for 21 years from 1972 to 1993. Produced by

Doordarshan Kendra Mumbai Doordarshan Kendra, Mumbai also referred as Mumbai Doordarshan is an Indian television station in Mumbai, owned and operated by state-owned Doordarshan, the television network of Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India). It was establi ...

, it was based on interviews of film celebrities and became immensely popular.Conjugations: Marriage and Form in New Bollywood Cinema
Sangita Gopal, pp. 3, University of Chicago Press, 2012, , "... Further, Hindi film became far more integrated with other forms of media – as exemplified by the proliferation of film magazines such as Filmfare, Stardust, and Cine Blaze, as well as the phenomenal popularity of television shows such as ''Chitrahaar'' and ''Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan''..." This also led to a career as stage compere. She was also the editor of ''Grihalaxmi'', a Hindi women's magazine for 15 years and wrote many joke books. In 1985, she directed, produced and wrote her first film, ''Tum Par Hum Qurban''. In 2006, she returned to television, as an actress in '' Pyaar Ke Do Naam: Ek Raadha, Ek Shyaam'', produced by Rajshri Productions. She became a judge in a reality stand-up comedy show ''

Ladies Special ''Ladies Special'' is an Indian television series that airs on Sony Entertainment Television. It premiered on 25 May 2009 along with a host of other new TV shows, as part of a major revamp by Sony TV. The show is about the lives of a group of l ...

'' (2009) on

Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV also ...

Tabassum continued to work as an interviewer for television and was doing a TV show on TV Asia USA and Canada titled ''Abhi Toh Main Jawaan Hoon'' based on the Golden Era of Hindi Cinema. In 2016, she launched her channel on YouTube, titled "Tabassum Talkies" which consists of nostalgic talks, interviews of celebrities, shayaris, jokes and more. Subsequently she returned to television with "Tab Aur Ab" in 2020.

Personal life

Tabassum was married to Vijay Govil, elder brother of television actor Arun Govil. Their son Hoshang Govil had brief career as a lead in three films ''Tum Par Hum Qurbaan'' (1985), which was produced and directed by Tabassum and introduced Johnny Lever for the first time on screen as a comedian, ''Kartoot'' (1987) and ''Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeah'' (1996) produced by Zee TV and directed by

J Om Prakash Jay Om Prakash (24 January 1926 – 7 August 2019) was an Indian film producer and director. He directed films like ''Aap Ki Kasam'' (1974), ''Aakraman'', ''Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka'', ''Aakhir Kyon?'' (1985) with Rajesh Khanna as the lead her ...

(grandfather of Hrithik Roshan). In 2009, her granddaughter Khushi (daughter of Hoshang) made her film debut with ''Hum Phir Mile Na Mile''.

Death and tributes

Tabassum suffered from gastrointestinal issues in her last days. She was admitted in hospital but passed away on 18 November 2022, after suffering two successive cardiac arrests. She was 78. Various celebrities including

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...

Twinkle Khanna Twinkle Khanna (also known as Tina Jatin Khanna; born on 29 December) is an Indian author, columnist, interior designer, film producer and a former film actress. In 2015, she released her first non-fiction book, "Mrs Funnybones" which was decla ...

, Adnan Sami, Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rehman, Deepti Naval and others condoled her death. Milk brand

Amul Anand Milk Union Limited (AMUL) is an Indian dairy state government cooperative society, based in Anand, Gujarat. Formed in 1946, it is a cooperative brand managed by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), which today i ...

gave Tabassum a tribute with a special doodle.

Filmography

Source(s):

Films

* ''Nargis'' (1947) * ''Mera Suhaag'' (1947) * '' Manjhdhar'' (1947) * ''

Bari Behen ''Bari Behen'' is a 1949 Hindi drama film directed, written and produced by D. D. Kashyap, starring Suraiya, Rehman, Ullhas and Pran.Sargam'' (1950) * '' Sangram'' (1950) * '' Jogan'' (1950) as Mangu * ''Gumashta'' (1951) *'' Aaram'' (1951) * '' Deedar'' (1951) * '' Bahar'' (1951) * '' Afsana'' (1951) as Young Meera * '' Baiju Bawra'' (1952) Young Gauri * ''Baap Beti'' (1954) * '' College Girl'' (1960) * '' Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960) * '' Dharmputra'' (1961) as Rekha Rai * '' Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon'' (1963) * ''Dara Singh: Ironman'' (1964) * ''Zimbo Ka Beta'' (1966) * ''

Ganwaar Ganwaar is a 1970 Indian film produced and directed by Naresh Kumar. It stars Rajendra Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Pran, Jeevan in pivotal roles. The film's music is by Naushad. This is Vyjayanthimala's last film. The film proved that Naushad is ...

'' (1970) as Mistress * '' Bachpan'' (1970) as Lily – Tom's wife * '' Heer Raanjha'' (1970) * ''

Johny Mera Naam ''Johny Mera Naam'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language crime action film directed by Vijay Anand. The film stars the director's brother, Dev Anand and Pran in the roles of brothers separated in childhood. Hema Malini, Jeevan, Premnath, I. S. ...

'' (1970) * ''

Shri Krishna Leela ''Shri Krishna Leela'' is a 1971 Hindi religious film directed by Homi Wadia. It was produced by his Basant Pictures banner. Written by B. M. Vyas, the story and dialogue were by S. N. Tripathi. The music was composed by S. N. Tripathi and ha ...

'' (1971) as Rasili * ''Shree Krishnarjun Yuddh'' (1971) as Chitrangini * '' Ladki Pasand Hai'' (1971) * ''

Gambler Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three eleme ...

'' (1971) * '' Adhikar'' (1971) * '' Tere Mere Sapne'' (1971) as Maltimala's Hairdresser * '' Shaadi Ke Baad'' (1972) as Basanti * ''

Maa Bahen Aur Biwi Maa Bahen Aur Biwi is a 1974 Bollywood drama film directed by Harbans Kumar. Cast *Kabir Bedi *Prema Narayan *Raj Kishore * David Abraham *Anjana *Jankidas *Tabassum *Tun Tun Tun Tun

'' (1974) * ''

Sur Sangam ''Sur Sangam'' is a 1985 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film written, and directed by K. Viswanath Kasinadhuni Viswanath (born 19 February 1930) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his works primarily in Telugu ...

'' (1985) * ''

Naache Mayuri ''Naache Mayuri'' is a 1986 dance biographical Hindi film directed by T. Rama Rao. It is a remake of the Telugu film, ''Mayuri'' (1984), about classical dancer-actress Sudha Chandran who stars as herself in both films. The film was shot at Meh ...

'' (1986) * '' Chameli Ki Shaadi'' (1986) * '' Swarg'' (1990) as Herself

Television

Source(s): * '' Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan'' (1972 - 1993, Doordarshan) * '' Pyaar Ke Do Naam: Ek Raadha, Ek Shyaam'' (2006, STAR Plus) as Kishan's grandmother * ''

'' (2009,

) as Herself (Judge) * ''Tab Aur Ab'' (2020, Tata Play)

Web

* ''Tabassum Talkies'' (2016 - 2022, YouTube)

References

External links

Tabassum's Youtube Channel
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tabassum 1944 births 2022 deaths Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Indian women television presenters Indian television presenters 20th-century Indian actresses Indian television actresses Indian television talk show hosts Masters of ceremonies Indian magazine editors Indian comedy writers Indian women comedians Actresses from Mumbai Indian child actresses Indian women television journalists Indian television journalists 20th-century Indian journalists 21st-century Indian journalists 21st-century Indian women writers 21st-century Indian writers Writers from Mumbai Women writers from Maharashtra Actresses in Hindi television 20th-century Indian women writers Women magazine editors