Raveena Tandon on how boundaries for women’s roles have stretched much more today
Raveena Tandon on how boundaries for women’s roles have stretched much more today
In over two decades of her career, Raveena Tandon has established herself not just as a commercially successful actress with films like Dilwale, Mohra, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi but has made an impact with arthouse cinema including Daman and Aks, both of which garnered her critical acclaim, winning the National Film Award for Best Actress for the former and the Filmfare Special Performance Award for the latter. Presently, she is one of the busiest actresses in Bollywood with successful projects including K.G.F: Chapter 2 and OTT show ‘Aranyak’. Her next is ‘Ghudchadi’ by Binoy Gandhi, for which she is equally excited.
The actor is grateful that people are still accepting her with open arms and talks about how the roles of actresses are not straight-jacketed anymore. She also talks about things she misses from the 90s in current Bollywood and if being outspoken about certain things impacted her career.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
Three decades in the industry and with projects that can make any contemporary jealous, How is Raveena enjoying this phase of stardom?
When I started I did not know where I was headed, I did not know what my strengths were. As I started working more, I realized that when there is a fun sequence, I enjoy it a bit more and It comes easier to me. I have always been excited to work with a good director who has a good story to tell. People still accept me with open arms and I love the fact that the makers have a role for me so I am totally grateful for all this.
You are someone who did various roles in multiple genres and kept the audience hooked whether it is Shool, Daman, Ghulam-E-Mustafa, etc. Seems you love challenging yourself and moving out of your comfort zone as an actor?
If I did a Ghulam-e-Mustafa, I also did Andaz Apna Apna, I did Daman, and a comedy like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. There was a Dulhe Raja in contrast with Satta so I could strike a balance. These days, the line between commercial and offbeat cinema is blurring, which gives more scope for an actor. I’m trying to explore new roles and do different types of films. I want to challenge myself as an actor.
Talking about challenging roles, do you think you have got more such opportunities now, especially after the emergence of OTT?
Oh yes, it has. And how! The OTT culture has given rise to low-budget films with unconventional stories that find their niche audience. The best part is that all these developments are happening even as Bollywood masala movies thrive so things couldn’t get any better. There are a lot of scopes today and an actress can try out various things.
We see how beautifully you have projected the roles of strong women. Do you think enacting such roles comes naturally to you?
Every decade has a woman-oriented film that’s left a mark. There was Mughal-E-Azam, Mother India. Then in my time, I did films like Satta, Daman, and Shool, which presented strong women characters. In recent times, there have been films like Raazi and Pink. Today, many actresses choose movies that do make a difference.
Talking about women's roles, do you see more such films written now than before?
It’s good to see women in grey shades, isn’t it? Earlier heroines were more black or white. Yes, the roles of actresses are not straight-jacketed anymore. There were complex roles to play then too. Like a Daman or Satta, but the boundaries have stretched much more today. It’s the best change that I see in Bollywood today. The roles I’ve taken up are different than the ones I've done before.
One role that literally challenged you and shook you while performing?
My role was not only challenging but disturbing too in Maatr film and shooting for such a role was horrifying and disturbing. It makes you understand what people actually go through when such things happen to them or their loved ones in real life. Some portions of the film are so stark real and brutal that I had a tough time watching myself on screen. I couldn’t immediately dub my lines while watching what we’ve shot. It is so real and disturbing. I had to stop, gather my strength and return back to my dubbing portions.
Is there something about the 90s that you miss now and why?
Bollywood is engrossed in the world of social networking sites. It was not the same when I joined. People go back to their vanity vans immediately after a shot is over. Earlier, the unit used to be like a family. There were no vanity vans where we could shut ourselves. The moment it is pack-up time, people just switch off from work these days.
We see you talking about multiple subjects off late – whether it is female rivalry in Bollywood or how the media behaved differently with some of the stars in the 90s. Did you ever fear losing relationships or projects because of that?
I may not have lost movies because of honesty but a lot of dirt was written about me. I never clawed on people's backs, played cutthroat politics, and never stepped on people's toes either. I didn't have godfathers, wasn't part of camps, and didn't have heroes promoting me. I was not parting around with heroes for roles or having affairs. In a lot of cases, I was considered arrogant because I wasn't pandering to what the heroes wanted me to do - laughing when they wanted me to laugh, sitting when they asked me to sit. I was doing my own thing. Surprisingly, female journalists would always try to bring me down. I just wanted to live on my own terms.
What next?
Apart from acting, I have developed many more interests in the past few years. Apart from family and work, my days just fly. I just wrapped up shooting for Ghudchadi with Sanjay Dutt, another film with Jio Studio. There is another one in the pipeline that I cannot talk about until the announcement is made.
Nivedita Sharma's work experience includes covering fashion weeks in Milan, Pakistan, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Dubai, and award functions like IIFA, and TOIFA.
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