Assertive and mentally tough, Raveena Tandon is a concerned citizen when it comes to social evils or crime against women such as domestic violence and rape. In her forthcoming film Maatr – The Mother, she will be seen essaying the role of a mother. She speaks to Vaishali Dar on why she has no qualms in portraying such a character and what made her choose this project
Raveena Tandon is the Mohra girl whose beauty set the screen afire when she sensuously swayed to the tunes of Tip tip barsa paani and Sheher ki ladki in the 90s. The versatile actress experimented with intrepid roles in films like Shool and Daman when she was at the peak of her career and could pull off all when feminism hadn’t hit Bollywood. So much so that she even commendably befitted the role of a strong multi-layered Tagore woman with Hindi-Bangla dialect. Now, she is all set to portray a mother in Maatr– The Mother directed by Ashtar Sayyed, which is about women who are victims of violence and rape.
Flashing her tough, no-nonsense attitude towards life, the 41-year-old actress walked briskly with her entourage in the meeting room of a swanky five-star hotel in Gurgaon. She has just wrapped 39 days of shooting schedule for the film. In a candid conversation, she spoke on odious incidents like domestic violence against women, rape, molestation, eve teasing that have occurred in the country lately. “Be it Krishnagiri teen incident in Tamil Nadu or Nirbhaya case in Delhi, it’s time we amend juvenile law,” she affirms, “Juvenile law should be more stringent and can be lowered to an age group of 14 or 16. There should be a strong deterrent to avoid such crime against women. It is very important to psychologically evaluate the degree and brutality of crime and then set the right punishment for these hardened criminals. Such kind of violence can be discouraged if our laws are stricter, and next time he commits a crime he knows the repercussions. If he’s old enough to rape then he’s old enough to take the punishment,” feels Tandon.
Tandon’s steadfast nature has always led her to take bold steps despite her stardom. Her active involvement in social causes like female foeticide, PETA, Child Relief and You (CRY), UNICEF or portraying a mother in her real and reel life, she’s struck the right balance between the two sides while being an extremist. She has no regrets whatsoever for the choices she made, both in selection of films and for taking a break in her career. “I wouldn’t want to change anything. I believe in destiny and it follows a certain path. God has been kind to me in whatever way possible,” she reasons.
So, what led her to pick up the role of a motherIJ “I live in the real world. And there is always a right age, right time for everything. Keeping my age group in mind, I would look forward to roles that have dignity and respect and are graceful for my age. Unconventional, serious and message-based cinema is what I would look at in the years to come,” she adds, voicing her concern on domestic violence and abuse against women and children.
Essaying her thoughts on the content-driven cinema that is prevalent in today’s times, Raveena says that movies with strong messages can enlighten the mind of the common man and can take justice to another level. “Movies like Mary Kom and others are very close to my heart. It’s high time we change the way we think. I think everybody is born equal,” Raveena adds.
This is not the first time she will be playing a feminist. Tandon’s strong antipathy towards domestic violence and abuse against women is evident in the repertoire of film that made her grab the National Award for her titular role in Daman.
Tondon shuns the gossip mills of joining politics but showed keen interest in having a healthy debate for the betterment of the country. “Where do you see the political willIJ We need to change the attitude of the people and show some respect and dignity in office. Even if you want to make a difference to the world the good people are stomped all over. Social media is a great platform but the top politicians are seen abusing each other here. When it comes to my country getting portrayed as what it is not, then not only me but everyone should speak up as ultimately when you see the bigger picture, it is going to harm us.”
The be-positive approach is an ideal mantra for life and that is what she reiterates when it comes to her personal regime. “I am a positive person. A bit of walking, swimming and healthy diet is part of my daily regime.”
photos Pankaj Kumar