Competition is tougher now: Raveena Tandon

Veteran actor delighted to see new artists gain foothold in Bollywood

While competition among actors, even professional jealousy, is not new to the ever-growing Indian film industry, veteran actor Raveena Tandon things have become all the more tough for new entrants.

“The competition has become tougher now. It’s all about how you stand out. It is only your dedication to your work that will take you ahead,” Bollywood.com quoted her as saying.

Tandon said she is pleasantly surprised to see so many new actors gaining foothold in Bollywood. “It’s really nice to see that they are all doing fantastic work. Deepika Padukone has grown so much as an actor with every film that she has done. Then there is Ranveer Singh ... he is just splendid! His energy is unbeatable.”



Talking about her own journey in the industry following her debut with the 1991 film, Patthar Ke Phool, Raveena said the one thing she misses today is doing live shows. “I enjoyed them because I got to see the reaction of people immediately. In those days, we didn’t have Twitter. So, if you did a film, you had no way of finding out whether anyone liked it or not. There’s this thing about performing live ... you get instant gratification. I have been on seven world tours. I miss that the most,” she said.

However, the actor has no regrets and is happy with her current standing both personally and professionally. Tandon married film distributor Anil Thadani in 2004 and is a mother to four children. “My journey has been fantastic. I have no regrets,” she said.

Although known majorly for her roles in commercial cinema, Tandon won the National Film Award for Best Actress in 2001 for essaying the titular character in Kalpana Lajmi’s Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence. “There have been many ups and downs and good times and bad times. But I am content with my personal life as well as my professional endeavours. I couldn’t have asked for more.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th,  2016.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.