Dune: Prophecy episode five brought with it a very exciting entrance. Bollywood star Tabu’s Sister Francesca appeared on the scene as an Imprinter who forged a strong connection with Emperor Javicco Corinno. It’s too soon to tell exactly where Tabu’s Francesca’s loyalties truly lie, but one thing is for sure, Tabu lights up the Dune: Prophecy screen. When Tabu was first announced as a part of Dune: Prophecy‘s cast, there was a lot of excitement in the air. Tabu’s fans are numerous, and the actress is hugely well-known in the realm of Bollywood and Hindi movies. At Nerdist, it was our pleasure to sit down with Tabu and discuss the beloved star’s arrival on Dune: Prophecy, what it means for Sister Francesca to be an Imprinter, and what the world of Dune has in common with the world of Bollywood.
When asked what she felt her loyal fans would most look forward to in her Dune: Prophecy performance, Tabu knew exactly what her answer would be. And it’s the one that makes the most sense of all. “Me.” She proclaimed with a laugh. “They’ll enjoy me. They’ll enjoy everything about me.” Tabu adds, a little bit more seriously, “I think what they’ll enjoy the most is my entrance because that’s actually like a Bollywood hero’s entrance.” Tabu’s entrance into the world of Dune: Prophecy is a truly glorious arrival, one that immediately captivates the audience and all the characters present.
As mentioned, Tabu’s Sister Francesca is one of Dune‘s Imprinters on Dune: Prophecy. That means she is able to create “an impression so strong that it alters the course of someone’s life.” Using her Sisterhood powers, she’s able to create “an emotional and physical bond that never breaks.” And, of course, handily for one Valya Harkonenn, Tabu’s Sister Francesca has created that powerful bond with Emperor Javicco Corinno himself on Dune: Prophecy. As we continued our conversation, Tabu pondered playing a character that takes their most human aspects, love, desire, and connection, and, in a sense, weaponizes them to manipulate those around her.
Tabu shares of bringing Sister Francesca to life on Dune: Prophecy, “I think it’s very exciting to play that because you don’t often see lead actors and lead characters using, as you said, their humanity to manipulate power. It’s not good in a way, but when you see it in the context of the Bene Gesserit, you know that this is what they do. This is what they have learned. So you take it as the truth of their being. But I still feel that behind all this is ultimately, it’s the most human things and feelings that they’re fighting with, and they’re fighting for power, revenge, desire, intoxication, war, protection.” In sum, it is a very human thing to use human abilities to obtain our most common desires. The Sisterhood just do it better than most on Dune: Prophecy.
Tabu notes that these aspects of Sister Francesca and the rest of the Sisterhood on Dune: Prophecy actually make them really resonant. She shares, “Even though Dune: Prophecy is a sci-fi series, it is relatable because it speaks to you about all these human dynamics just set in a different world.”
Tabu also walked us through how being a part of Dune: Prophecy and being a part of a Bollywood production actually compare. She shared, “Cinema is cinema. We have heroes. And we have lead actors, lead actresses. We have characters. Our stories. I mean, of course, culturally, we have different stories, culturally specific stories that we tell. But everywhere, there are many, many, many people on any set. So it’s all very similar. Everybody wants to finish in time. We’re always running at the time. We’re always wanting to take the sunrise and it’s too short, and the sunset, and it’s too short. And costumes are taking too much time and all of that. Everything is happening at the last minute.”
Tabu laughs and hits us with the true wisdom of filmmaking, no matter what the production. “This is one thing that is universal. And in the 30 years of my career, this one thing hasn’t changed. That costume issues and all these other things will only happen at the last minute. Honestly, always. No matter how many loop tests you do. There’ll always be something last minute. ‘Oh, that has become loose.’ Oh, that has become tight.’ So it’s all similar. Of course, the systems of work in both industries are very, very, very, very, very different. But I think creatively, we all follow the same trajectory.” What a beautiful takeaway from a truly knoweldagable actress.
You can now watch Tabu’s Sister Francesca in her debut Dune: Prophecy episode, which is streaming on Max.
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