Veteran actor Tabassum dies due to cardiac arrest at 78
Veteran actor Tabassum Govil passed away due to a cardiac arrest on Friday at a hospital in Mumbai. She was 78. Her son Hoshang Govil confirmed her death to The Indian Express on Saturday. Notably, Tabassum made her acting debut as a child in 1947 and had been part of the industry since then. She hosted a popular celebrity talk show for Doordarshan, too.
Tabassum had 2 cardiac arrests in 2 minutes
Govil said Tabassum was "absolutely healthy" and even shot for a show 10 days back. She had gastrointestinal issues for which she was earlier hospitalized. However, Tabassum had to be rushed to the hospital again on Friday. Govil said she suffered two cardiac arrests in two minutes. He emphasized she was scheduled to "shoot again next week," adding, "It happened all of a sudden."
She hosted 'Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan' show
"Baby Tabassum," as she was dearly called in her childhood, shared the screen with many actors over the decades. She debuted as a child actor with Nargis (1947) and acted in Mera Suhaag, Manjhdhar, Sargam, Mughal-e-Azam, and Heer Ranjha, among other films. Her last film was Swarg (1990). She also hosted the popular Doordarshan show Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan from 1972 to 1993.
Tabassum served as editor for 'Grihalaxmi' too
Apart from films, Tabassum also acted in several television ventures, including Pyaar Ke Do Naam: Ek Raadha, Ek Shyaam on Star Plus, and had served as a judge on Zee TV's stand-up comedy show Ladies Special (2009). She also worked as an editor for the Hindi magazine Grihalaxmi for about 15 years and authored several joke books as well.
She was married to Arun Govil's brother
Tabassum's parents were freedom fighters. She was married to Vijay Govil, who was TV actor Arun Govil's elder brother. Their son Hoshang Govil is also an actor and had worked in three films. Besides acting in various film and TV projects, Tabassum directed and produced several films, including Tum Par Hum Qurbaan, which introduced Johnny Lever as a comedian.
