"I signed Patthar Ke Phool because my friends wanted to meet Salman Khan" says Raveena Tandon

The iconic Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon graces the latest episode of In the Ring with Filmfare with her infectious energy. Hosted by Jitesh Pillai, Editor-in-Chief, Filmfare, this unfiltered and insightful talk show goes beyond the glitz and glamour to explore the personal lives and professional journeys of the film industry and OTT world’s biggest stars, all in front of a live audience that amplifies the experience.

In an engaging conversation with the host, Raveena Tandon gets candid about hailing from a diverse background, her journey before venturing into acting, and her early years in the industry. She also reminisces about signing Patthar Ke Phool because of her college friends and shooting for the film while simultaneously appearing for her FYJC exam. In addition, Raveena reveals the reason behind turning down Karan Johar’s blockbuster film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and another film with Shah Rukh Khan. The conversation further takes an emotional turn as she discusses embracing motherhood through adoption at the young age of 21. Lastly, Raveena even addresses the recent viral video of a mob accusing her driver of assaulting two women.

Talking about being raised in a diverse background, Raveena reveals, “Although I come from a film family, as my father was in the movies, we were not a ‘filmy’ family. My grandfather was a High Court judge, my aunt was a doctor, and my uncles were attorneys and prosecutors, whereas my maternal grandfather was in the army. We hosted a lot of film stars at our home, but my father never let us get influenced by the glitz and glamour of showbiz."

Raveena also reveals she was in FYJC when she starred in Patthar Ke Phool (1991), saying, “I gave my FYJC exam while shooting for Patthar Ke Phool.” She jokingly shares, “In fact, I signed Patthar Ke Phool because my friends wanted to meet Salman Khan. Back then, I had already said no to 5 to 6 films because I was not sure if I wanted to be a part of movies. I’d never dreamt of becoming an actress. It all just happened; it was destiny. While Patthar Ke Phool was in production, I signed a couple of other films, and then there was no looking back.”

Raveena further reveals why she rejected Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), saying, “To this day, Karan (Johar) still teases me for not signing his first film. Back then, I couldn’t give it a nod because I was trying to re-establish my career, and I couldn’t have played second lead to Kajol. I had given up my career for personal reasons, and then I realised I had to get back into the fray. I couldn’t have gone back with someone whom I’d started off with on an equal footing, and then do a second lead (to her).”

Spilling the beans on ‘catfights’ between actresses in the 90s, Raveena mentions, “There were never really any catfights per se.” Addressing her rumoured catfight with Karisma Kapoor during the shoot of Aatish (1994), she states, “It was never a catfight. There might be a discussion about ‘Why are you doing this?’, ‘What is the need to do this’ and ‘Let’s bridge this gap’. That’s all it was. But of course, it was all hyped.”

She even recalls embracing motherhood through adoption at the age of 21, expressing, “My mom has always worked towards the empowerment of girls, and I followed suit. And when the opportunity came for me to do the right thing, I think I just stepped up. I didn’t think about its repercussions.”