Tabu is Sister Francesca in Dune: Prophecy. She is a veteran actress with experience from a stacked filmography of Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, and Bengali-language movies and TV shows. And I spoke with her for her role in the series!
My English-speaking brethren may more likely recognize her from the beautiful adaptation of Life of Pi (2012), which won four Oscars, where she played Gita Patel. I had the privilege of sitting down with Tabu over Zoom, me in Toronto, and her in Mumbai to talk about a franchise that’s hit audiences globally.
As Sister Francesca, Tabu appears in the final episodes of Dune: Prophecy, enacting just a piece of the puzzle that is Reverend Mother Valya’s (Emily Watson) grand plan for the empire. As Francesca, Tabu stands out from the swarm of black-clad sisters of the Bene Gesserit.
“She is different. And I must say that Alison [Shapker], the showrunner, wanted her to be different because she is the emperor’s lover, you know, so she was already different because she is Constantine’s mother. She has a very strong place in the Imperium, even though she’s absent. That’s why her return to the Imperium creates this kind of shift in the dynamics for everyone,” she said.
“And that’s why Alison was very sure that she has to be different; she has to look different. In fact, she was very particular about my hair jewelry–my hairpiece; she wanted that in my entrance. She wanted the particular veils. Every veil that I wore was different in every scene. And she was so clear about it. She was very clear. Like, which scene she wants hair down, which she wants hair up. And. And also because she’s the only one who has an intimate connection with the emperor. She’s the mother of his son.”
Bringing another sister’s story to life
Tabu’s Francesca is much softer than the rest of the sisterhood. She has a warmth to her. And that warmth is carried in the young Francesca as well, played by Charithra Chandran, whom you may recognize from Bridgerton.
“We had one long meeting with Alison, Anna [Foerster], me, and Charithra. All of us discussed, drew from each other, and understood each other,” Tabu said. “I’m sure [Charithra] also followed some of my mannerisms so she could, you know, imbibe them inside her. And I’m sure she had her own process. I’m sure she also worked on her accent, you know, because I have an Indian accent, she has a British accent.[…]But, yeah, [Charithra] done very well. She’s done very well for herself, and. she’s so recognized, you know, and the show itself has done so well. Even here [in Mumbai].”
Tabu has enjoyed watching the build-up to her character’s entrance in episode 5. Part of the joy of watching the first episodes of Dune: Prophecy was that she could enjoy them as Charithra Chandran contributed to her character’s story arc while simultaneously absorbing the story from an outsider’s perspective.
“My nephew, who’s 20-25 years old, and his gang of friends, these young boys, started organizing these previews for all the episodes. So we booked this mini theater, and we have these 25 or 30 members of our Dune gang. And we have invites we send out every week, and we have these screenings. And all the episodes are also those I was not part of. The screening of my episodes will happen on the 23rd, but all from 1, 2, 3, 4. We have these screenings, screening night, then we have dinner, we talk about it, and we enjoy it. And everybody is, like, in a theater. That is why I’m so happy that I kept time off. I actually wanted to enjoy this, you know, and it’s easier for you to enjoy something if you are not part of it. You know, I was literally watching it, like, a viewer and could, like, be involved in the story and understand.”
A wonderful set experience
Tabu’s experience on the set of Dune: Prophecy was one she loved. Despite the serious tones we witness as the series is released each week on Max, the production was full of laughter, professionalism, and excellent talent.
“The atmosphere and the ambiance on set were not at all heavy. Not at all, you know, because the people who are working on this project are all accomplished people who’ve done so much work that they know the line between screen and off-screen. Yeah, you’re doing something serious, the way you know your craft, and everybody knows what they’re doing, and it’s just, it’s like a project. It’s like a job you’re doing, and nobody goes into that heavy, dull space,” she said. “Also, I think, because the cold look and the feel of Dune is so big and magnificent, I don’t think it pulls you down in any way because there is so much else happening. There is the costume, There is the veil. There’s the palace, and there’s beauty, and there’s the camera, and you’re capturing all of that, you know, so, there was a lot of humor. And Mark [Strong] is the funniest person.”
Yet, the series, like the films, reflects aspects of today’s society back at us. The Dune Universe, as created by Frank Herbert and his family, plays with many allegories for the socio-political landscape across the globe, relevant not only in the 1960s but up to our current culture and legislation. Tabu put it this way, “I feel, talking about literature, literature has always been relevant to the times we live in in some way or another. You can draw parallels. Right. And that holds true for mythology, for philosophy, for everything. Because I feel the human condition, people, and power have had the same story and presence since time immemorial. So you can take anything and apply it to the present times, to the past times, you know, so. Because human. The human condition of wanting power, the aspiration for power, will, its not going to change. It has been there forever.”
You can catch Tabu playing Sister Fransca in the final two episodes of Dune: Prophecy on Max.
Published: Dec 23, 2024 01:15 pm