Back in 1996, Tabu and Akshay Kumar blew fans away with their natural onscreen chemistry in the action comedy Tu Chor Main Sipahi. But sadly that was the first and only time they were paired together. In 2000, the two came together for Hera Pheri, but Tabu was paired opposite Suniel Shetty. Well, 25 years later, Akshay and Tabu are finally reuniting in Bhooth Bangla. Helmed by ace filmmaker Priyadarshan, the horror comedy is set to release next year in 2026. Ahead of the same, Tabu has now opened up about her director, co-star and how Akshay has changed, if at all, over the years.
In a chat with ETimes, talking about her first day on the Bhooth Bangla set, Tabu shared, “I didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t worked with Akshay after Hera Pheri, and we hadn’t even met socially very often over the years. I had stayed in touch with Priyan, so I knew he would be exactly the same person.” To her delight, Priyadarshan is still as ‘impatient and vocal about what he feels’, apart from being a one-take director. But what about Akshay Kumar?
Tabu revealed, “His humour and energy are the same. He still wakes up at 4 am, finishes early, and heads home, which is a very good thing for the rest of us. He always says, ‘jaldi sona chahiye,’ and reminds everyone he doesn’t go to parties. That part of him hasn’t changed at all. Of course, we’ve all grown up now, but the essence of who he is – that’s still the same.”
Tabu, who was last seen in Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (2024) with Ajay Devgn, did not have any released this year. But in 2026, she has two exciting releases — she will be seen in Akshay’s Bhooth Bangla and also has Puri Jagannadh’s next, which will release in Tamil and Telugu, with Vijay Sethupathi.
How excited are you to see Tabu in a horror comedy again, after Golmaal Again (2017) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (2022)?
