South films are deeply rooted in their culture and traditions: Raveena Tandon
Raveena Tandon
is making a return to Tamil cinema after 24 years (her last Kollywood outing was Kamal Haasan's Aalavandhan in 2001) with Lawyer, starring Vijay Antony. In a chat with us, the actress shares that she is excited to work in Tamil again after all these years and delving into how she picks her films, says, 'Obviously, the role should be good.
And you have to have faith in your director. So, it's a combination of everything.' Excerpts:
'I was wondering why I get less work in the South'
The actress reveals that she has always loved filming in the South and adds, 'I was wondering why I get less work in the South. Whether it's Tamil, Telugu or Kannada cinema, just being down south is an enjoyable treat. I love the kind of work done here, and I want to work here more often. I'm also a fan of South Indian food. Even in the '90s, I used to go back to Mumbai after filming here and tell people that it's so refreshing in the South because everyone's so focused.
The films made here are deeply rooted in the culture, traditions, and rituals of the place they are set in. Therefore, people can identify with films on a mass level.'
'I'm refreshing and polishing my Tamil again'
Now that she is back on a Tamil film set, Raveena informs us that she is 'refreshing and polishing my Tamil again'. She elaborates, 'Once I go back to Mumbai, I forget the language because no one talks in Tamil there. So now, I'm catching up with Tamil words again.
Everyone here gets surprised when I speak the language and ask me, 'Oh, you remember Tamil?' I say, 'Yeah, it's all coming back to me.' Tamil is a beautiful language.
The actual ethos of India comes from all our indigenous languages.'
'It's great to work with young blood because they've got innovative ideas'
Raveena tells us that she currently doesn't have any aspirations and is rather going with the flow. 'It's great to work with young blood because they've got fresh and innovative ideas. Working with them keeps you updated, and you also get to enjoy different working styles.
I keep hearing of such superb new directors, music composers, and talent coming up from the South, and that is always very tempting. I want to work with many directors from the South.
I also want to do a film with my Hyderabad gang again,' states the actress.
'It's our perception that makes us think who's a grey character and who's not'
Raveena has a rather interesting take on essaying grey characters. 'I enjoy playing grey characters. You might watch a character and think that they are grey, but in their mind, they are only doing what they think is right for them.
For example, in KGF: Chapter 2 (2022), my character (Ramika Sen) was not grey. She was doing what was right for her country. It's our perception that makes us think who's a grey character and who's not,' she shares.
'I'm thoroughly enjoying the pace at which our film is being shot'
Elaborating on her experience working on Lawyer, Raveena reveals, 'Although I have played a lawyer in Patna Shukla (2024), my character in Lawyer will be completely different. When I heard the film's plot from director Joshua (Sethuraman), I loved it.
We are now shooting at such a pace that I feel two films can be made here in the time they shoot one in Mumbai or anywhere else in the world. And I'm thoroughly enjoying it because I hate wasting time.
Wastage of time is wastage of the producer's money. I like it when the whole team is out there and working hard with josh.'
'I'm keeping my fingers crossed for KGF 3'
Quiz her about KGF: Chapter 3 — the third film in the action franchise,starring Yash — and she says, 'I think the makers wanted to give the franchise a break because they didn't want the third film to come out very soon. They wanted to give it a little time so that people's curiosity would increase. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that a third film happens.'
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