Tabassum was a well-known Bollywood actress, writer, producer, director and talk show host, who started her career as child actor in 1947 with three films namely Nargis (1947), Mera Suhaag (1947), and Manjhdhar (1947). She later went on to act in popular films like Bari Behen (1949), Deedar (1951), Baiju Bawra (1952), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Heer Raanjha (1970) and Johny Mera Naam (1970), etc. Besides appearing in lead and later supporting roles, she made her debut as director and producer with Tum Par Hum Qurban (1985) which launched her son Hoshang Govil’s acting career. She was also known for hosting the first TV talk show, Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan on Doordarshan wherein she interviewed many film personalities. She was also the editor of the popular Hindi women's magazine, Grihalaxmi and wrote many books on jokes and urdu poetry. She passed away on 18 November 2022 at the age of 78 after suffering a cardiac arrest.