Tabassum who passed away at 78 on Friday, due to heart failure has served predominantly in the industry. She started off as a child artiste and then adopted roles in the film in the 70s. She rose to fame through her celebrity talk show Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan, which made her a loyal fan base who used to wait in queue outside the Doordarshan office to appear on the show.
Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan aired in 1972 and it continues successively for 21 long years till 1993.
Speaking to Hindustan Times in 2016, Tabassum revealed that initially celebs featured on the show but then the viewers started queuing up outside their office to become a part of the audience. “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 added.
Mentioning the format of the show the late actor had revealed, “We used to do single takes lasting 30 minutes. We didn’t know the concept of cuts. We didn’t even have any real production team. Phool Khile… was a one-woman show. I would contact the artists, write my script, do my own research.”
Tabassum acted as a child actor in films like Baiju Bawra and Bari Behan. In grown up roles she got featured in Gambler and Chameli Ki Shaadi among others.
