Raveena Tandon has become an iconic figure in the Hindi film industry. She has really come a long way since did a film with Salman Khan and many other Bollywood heroes. And now in her comeback film Maatr she once again enacts the role of mother who avenges the rape & murder of her daughter. Raveena Tandon has stayed away from the arc lights & grease paint for years barring a fleeting appearance in the 2015 movie Bombay Velvet as a jazz singer. And now she has once again donned the grease paint to face the arc lights as she is readied herself for a full – fledged return to the movies in Maatr which is incidentally directed by Ashtar Sayed.
You have stayed away from the film industry for a long time then how come you agreed to do Maatr?
Actually speaking I have known Anjum Rizvi, the producer, since he produced the film A Wednesday, which my husband (distributor Anil Thadani) had released. Producer Anjum Rizvi had approached me earlier as well with a script, which did not work out. But when he narrated the script of Maatr, I was blown away. The film captures a mother’s deepest worries. It is a scary world out there and we are always thinking about how to protect our kids. Schools, playgrounds et al they could be threatened anywhere. The script left me shaken, and I knew this was a film I just had to do.
But what is so different about Maatr that attracted you so much?
First of all I would like to say that a film can give you poetic justice that the justice system cannot. And this is where Maatr comes in. In Maatr I felt that my role of a mother who avenges her daughter’s rape & murder offered me full scope to sharpen up my extraordinnaire talent which was lying in a dormant stage for a long, long time. And at the same time the film will definately shake up our judicial system.
But in the movie Maatr you as a wronged mother resort to violence after the system fails you in the movie. Do you endorse this sort of vigilantism?
Frankly speaking Maatr film is ultimately a fictionalised account of an incident that keeps on happening in society. But It could be someone’s reality. So Maatr is a movie about a common man’s frustration with the law & order & justice system. If you follow the news, you still see there is no dip in the crime rates. Such people are not scared of the law anymore and are quite blatant about what they do. Earlier, you could say this sort of crime would only happen in rural areas. You could go on in your lives thinking that this happens to other people. Not just Nirbhaya, look at what happened to that actress in Kerala. If a woman of privilege & prominence can be assaulted by men she knew & trusted who are evidently so brazen, what can you say to assure a regular woman with no support system?
But it is also true that only a film can give you a sense of relief, poetic justice & gratification, which our justice system cannot? Is that why the film has an urban, middle – class setting?
Precisely. You are absolutely correct and moreover We live privileged lives. We live in our own bubbles. I have myself raised 3 daughters. 2 were adopted. I know what it feels like when a sex assault happens close to home. Unfortunately, when it happens to someone we know, we are in a state of shock. But it lasts only for a few days. As Nirbhaya’s mother had said at a programme where we had invited her, the outrage lasts for a few days. Questions will be asked about what you were doing at that place at that time. Then we have political leaders who say things like, “Ladke hain, badmashiyan toh karenge” (boys will be boys). Instead of shaming the victims, you need to shame the criminals.
One of Your film Daman also dealt with the issue of sexual violence & marital rape. What has changed since, both with the audience and the film industry?
You see the thing that has really chanbged is our audiences who have naturally become a lot more aware these days. More cases are being reported, and our cinema reflects this change. More & more films are being made with female protagonists in stories about sexual violence, consent and other gender issues. It is a welcome trend that sends out a positive and strong message to our society. Besides I hope such films come at least twice in every 6 months. Filmmakers are doing a wonderful job of integrating the cause with the purpose of commercial cinema. So even if a film like Maatr is not a huge commercial success, the message it carries needs to be heard.
You were also a sex symbol at one time. How do you feel about your body of work being re – evaluated through the prism of feminism?
Honestly speaking I face it all the time. It is one thing to fight for your rights. But it’s another thing to subject everything to excessive scrutiny and look for a subtext when there may not be any. In Daman, I took on the avatar of Durga to deal with a demonic character. The image is often used by filmmakers to depict a strong female character and celebrate a feminine power. In Maatr, when I speak of incoming your inner Ram, activists & journalists find it objectionable. They ask, why does a woman need a man to protect her? I find such criticism to be excessive.
You turned down more offers than your fair share of films over your career. What influences your choice of projects today?
I have always had a sense of security & contentment. I have never been ambitious. People tell me that I am a very grounded person. Even at the peak of my professional graph, I believed in reality – that films cannot be my entire life but only a part of it.
I wanted to experience everything – being a daughter, mother, sister, daughter – in – law et al. I wanted to enjoy my children. I am okay with doing any film I like, even play Ranbir Kapoor’s grandmother in the next few years. I played checkers with my career, and I still got good work whenever I wanted to.
But seriously speaking all said & done my children’s childhood will not come back. Films will keep happening. I came from a stable home, my parents did not get divorced. All that gave me a strong set of principles by which I lived. I set down the rules for myself & lived by my decisions without any regret. In fact the real truth is that I have been thrown out of many films too, that too because of insecure co – actors who had problems with me working with their boyfriends. But I have never been insecure. I never belonged to any camp and neither did I have a godfather backing me. I am enjoying this phase of my life, doing reality television & endorsements. It is something I had not foreseen. But here I am. Maybe I will take a break again? Who knows?
Why did you cancels the films promotion on on one particular TV show?
To tell you the truth I was not aware of the controversy surrounding a particular TV show as I was in New York and in the middle of a snow storm. Our film Maatr deals with a very strong message about zero tolerance to any form of violence or abuse against women – the film’s producers & actors too felt that until allegations against the producer and the channel are proved wrong, we will refrain from promoting the film or any of the actors appearing on the said show.”
You Broke down while dubbing for Maatr?
Some portions of the film are so stark real & brutal I had a tough time watching myself on screen. I couldn’t immediately dub my lines while watching what we’ve shot. It is so real & disturbing. I had to stop, gather my strength & return back to my dubbing portions.”
You had earlier done a film on marital rape namely Kalpana Lajmi’s Daman? What say?
This is a topic I feel very strongly about. I’ve 3 daughters and I always worry about their safety. And why just daughters? Are sons safe anymore? Is anyone safe any longer?” Hai koi jawab in sabka kisike paas?
