Breaking boundaries

OTT series Aryanak has revived Raveena Tandon's career. She shares the glad vibes with Suman Sharma

- Suman Sharma

Raveena Tandon was the quintessential material girl in the '90s. Even today, people know her more for her item number Tu cheez badi hai mast mast than for the roles she did. But all that is changing now. Her performance in her OTT debut, Aranyak, is winning her plaudits and awards galore. She's showing the world she can be a dependable actress too and not just someone added to fill in the glamour quotient. Her fans are loving her in this new avatar and are asking for more. In this candid interview, the actress talks about both past and present and is hopeful of becoming bigger and better in future. Excerpts:

Your OTT debut, Aranyak, has garnered favourable reviews.

I wanted to do something different with Aranyak. I didn't want to act in the same stereotypical way that others had perceived me. It was a risk for me. I had many large-scale offers that went on to become huge successes. And all of a sudden I was asking myself, 'I hope I have not made the wrong choice. I hope this pays off.'

Actresses are getting more substantial roles on OTT.

It's helping everyone. For example, OTT is providing our character actors a tonne more opportunities to shine. It is fantastic because they are not limited to playing a single minor character; instead, they play protagonists and other incredible roles. You can discover a variety of stories on OTT, and each story has a specific niche audience. Because there is a specific audience for it on OTT, the producers are not under any pressure for it to perform well at the box-office. Because of this, in my opinion, people are experimenting with various types of narratives.

You progressed from glam doll roles to roles that require more of you as an actor. How did that change come about?