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Attila Szvacsek\/HBO<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nOne of Bollywood’s biggest stars says women are taking more of a leading role in global film and TV productions.<\/p>\n Tabu appears in the latest episode of Dune: Prophecy – the series inspired by Frank Herbert’s classic novels and recent films.<\/p>\n Originally titled Dune: Sisterhood, Tabu says women, including director Anna Foerster, played a prominent role in the show both in front of and behind the camera.<\/p>\n “Being surrounded, feeling empowered and a feeling that you’re the ones running the show… it’s really, really nice to see that happening,” she tells BBC Asian Network News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n It’s a trend Tabu, a household name in Hindi cinema, feels is not just limited to international projects, but something she has noticed in her native industry.<\/p>\n “There’s been a big change all over the world where women are taking centre stage in many places.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tabu points to her role in the commercially successful Hindi film Crew, with a female lead cast of herself, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kriti Sanon.<\/p>\n “It’s part of the big change and it was also because the woman that I was working with have accomplished so much in their fields,” Tabu, 53, says.<\/p>\n “They have a grip, they have control over their craft.<\/p>\n “They have a sense of how to deal with people because I feel everything is about people management.<\/p>\n “That comes with experience, maturity and putting in a lot of work in so many years of their respective careers. So that felt comforting, safe, and you felt like you were being understood.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dune: Prophecy is described by critics<\/a> as “a bracingly different sci-fi dominated by women at every level”, with fans in India delighted<\/a> by Tabu’s appearance in the show.<\/p>\n While she says schedules aligned to enable her to play the role of Sister Francesca, the chance to work in a different environment with an international cast was appealing.<\/p>\n “I always love these experiences. Because I don’t live in that world.”<\/p>\n She says there were people from Serbia, Spain, the UK, Ukraine and Germany involved, which helped her understand different people and cultures.<\/p>\n “It was very exciting, adding much more fun and drama on screen, of course, but off screen,” she says.<\/p>\n “I got to interact with people from so many different parts of the world.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tabu’s career in the industry spans several decades, with acting credits including other Western productions such as Life of Pi and A Suitable Boy.<\/p>\n But despite everything she’s achieved, the actor says she’s keen to not look backwards.<\/p>\n “Because I feel like I’ve stuttered [if I do].<\/p>\n “[Sometimes I feel like] I’m still new and I’m still learning so much.<\/p>\n “The one thing that I feel extremely grateful and overwhelmed by is I got a tremendous amount of love and respect from people or from my audiences.”<\/p>\n And she says she remains motivated by the types of roles she plays, like Francesca.<\/p>\n “That I should be able to experience this character in a completely new way.<\/p>\n “That I should be able to present this character in a completely new way [for the audience].<\/p>\n “Cinema is over 100 years old, they’ve been seeing stuff happening, actors and characters.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tabu also says she saw the role as an opportunity to discover more about herself.<\/p>\n “Because acting is such a live experience, you’re lucky to not have the luxury of your work being stuck in one place.<\/p>\n “You still have to put yourself out there in front of the camera, and explore yourself and express yourself every day when you’re on a film.<\/p>\n “That’s the only tool you have. I look at it in a personal way.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Listen to Ankur Desai’s show on BBC Asian Network live<\/a> from 15:00-18:00 Monday to Thursday – or listen back here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘I’m still learning so much’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Attila Szvacsek\/HBO<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"BBC\/Lookout](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/4110\/live\/d78b71a0-bba6-11ef-a2ca-e99d0c9a24e3.jpg.webp\")
BBC\/Lookout Point<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/b83d\/live\/df96a070-15d6-11ef-a5f9-c9e97f2e93cf.jpg.webp\")
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