Two of the most talented actors in the Indian film industry, Tabu and Manoj Bajpai took the hot seat opposite the veteran actor Anupam Kher on this week of 'The Anupam Kher Show'. Here are a few things that the two revealed on the show.

Her real name: Her real name is Tabassum Fatima Hashmi and her pet name is Tabu. After working as a teenager with Dev Anand in the movie ' Hum Naujawan', Dev Anand thought her pet name Tabu was quite quirky and ever since then her screen name has been Tabu. Her name is as cute as Tabu in real life. Isn't it?

Career: Acting happened to her by chance. Tabu who used to visit her aunt Shabana Azmi was asked to work in the movie 'Hum Naujawan' and she agreed to do it. She was just 14 at that time and remembers Dev Anand picking up from her aunt's  house for the shoots. Lucky girl Tabu, she got to work with one of the biggest legend of Bollywood in her debut movie. Aren't you a tad bit jealous of this talented lass?

Multi-lingual: Tabu not only knows Hindi and English but also Marathi, Telugu, Bengali and a little bit of Tamil. Tabu is not only really gifted but also very talented. 

Strength: For Tabu her mother is her pillar of strength. Her mother always told her if you don't do anything  passionately then you will never enjoy it. We now know where all the positivity stems from. After all, her passion does reflect on the screen. Doesn't it?

Her debut movie: Tabu first movie as an actress was in the Telugu movie Coolie no. 1. Her Bollywood debut was in the movie 'Prem' which took 8 years to make and turned out to be a big flop. Despite the delay, Tabu's career took off and she went onto do some of the most wonderful roles in Hindi cinema. We are glad that everything worked out for the best and the Hindi film industry saw the birth of one of the biggest stars.

Manoj Bajpai

Acting, as a career choice: Manoj Bajpai comes from a family of six brothers and sisters. His father who was a farmer wanted Manoj to become a doctor as he,himself couldn't become one. But Manoj had other plans for himself. As long as he can remember, Manoj just wanted to become an actor. His teacher who thought Manoj was the quietest in the class pushed him to get into elocution, and that he feels is what laid the foundation of his life. With dreams of seeing his poster up on the walls, Manoj left his hometown to come to Delhi to pursue his passion. They say where there's a will there is a way and Manoj proved that nothing is impossible. 

NSD dreams: Manoj wanted to get into National School of Drama for as long as he remembers. When he entered college, he tried getting admission twice but was rejected both the times. He was so disappointed that his friends thought he would commit suicide and kept an eye on him at all times. But after he started to train under Barry John, he applied again, and was asked by NSD  to join them as a teacher and not a student. Destiny has strange ways of giving you things. For someone as talented as Manoj, there is no doubt he deserved something as big as teaching at NSD. He always had what was required to be a star!

Life changer: After the release of Satya in 1998 his life changed forever. Manoj is very thankful to RGV for giving his first career breaking role. When he met him for the first time, Ram Gopal Varma asked him which movie he had acted in and when he said he essayed the role of Mann Singh. He was shocked to see how he appeared so different  in real life and offered him the role of Bhiku Mhatre in the movie Satya. One of the biggest cult movies of all time, Satya gave Manoj his break.  We wouldn't have known Manoj if wasn't for Bikhu Mhatre.

On working in Swabhimaan: When Mahesh Bhatt saw the first episode of the 90s TV show, Swabhimaan, he was so impressed by Manoj that he called him a big actor and told him that he shouldn't leave the city heartbroken as he felt the city will give him a lot in return. Manoj who was supposed to do just five episodes, ended up doing more than 200 episodes as the audience loved his character in the TV serial and wanted to see more of him. Well, it wasn't just Bhatt sahab who saw the star in him, even the audience recognised his talent and gave him a chance to live his dreams. If you have seen, Swabhimaan, you would definitely know what we are talking about!

His family: Manoj's father never put any pressure on him. When he told his father that he wanted to become an actor, his father said that he always knew what Manoj wanted to pursue in life. Manoj loves his parents alot and one thing that he can't forget what his mother told him after watching Satya was, “jisko saphalta nahi milti, woh bewakoof nahi hain”. Coming from a middle- class family, Manoj is very close to his family. With parents as supportive as him, no wonder he has done so well for himself despite not being a typical hero material.