/> She might have been the queen of the marquee. But somehow Tabu has chosen to be a recluse, lately choosing roles randomly rather than by any design.

Says a source close to the actress, "Tabu doesn't really care about stardom. She has lived her life the way she wanted to. And now she isn't running after roles. Her current obsession is her home in Hyderabad which she's putting together brick by brick."

Tabu made a rare public appearance on Saturday night for the first trial show of Anurag Basu's Metro.

There was a very special reason why Tabu was there. Shilpa who's holding her breath for the film to carry forward her international appeal, is one of Tabu's closest friends.

"In fact," shares Shilpa. "I introduced Tabu to the gym some years ago. Since then we've remained friends."

There was an added reason for Tabu's presence at the Metro premiere. Tabu had originally been offered Shilpa's role. "But Tabu had money issues. In fact monetary sizing- down has always been a problem for her.

She has lost count of the films that she finally said no to in spite of outstanding author-backed roles because she felt she was being exploited monetarily. Money is a touchy issue for Tabu. And why not? Her home in Hyderabad is a pricey passion."

Tabu seemed to love buddy Shilpa's performance.

"But the general verdict in this performance-oriented film is that Irrfan steals the show completely from the entire cast. He's the best, followed by Kay Kay, Konkona and Kangana, in that order," says a source.