By Subhash K Jha
BOLLYWOOD: It was non-stop card-playing but no partying for the ravishing Raveena Tandon when she turned 40 on October 26.
While the card-playing went on in her house since Diwali, the birthday bash had to be braked because of a death in the family.
“My Tauji (uncle) passed away. There was no pressure as such to not celebrate my birthday. Lekin dil hi nahin kiya. I was very close to my Tauji. So we just brought in my birthday with a quiet family dinner, with my husband and children and very close friends. The card-playing party that was on since Diwali continued through my birthday. In fact extra tables had to be added since many more of our friends wanted to join in. There will be many birthdays to celebrate, I hope,” laughs Raveena.
Forty, the Bollywood actress says, is just a number. “And a very attractive one at that. I don’t know if life begins at 40. But I definitely feel I’ve many many things to do. And they’re all happening in a bunch.”
Raveena set a new world-record in recording television software when she shot 13 episodes of her talk-show Simply Baatein With Raveena (Simple Talk with Raveena) in 5 days.
The Mora actress is still in a daze. “I don’t know how I did it! I was out of the country. I came back to a schedule of Onir’s film. I pushed it forward by a few days and shot all 13 episodes of my talk show in just five days. It was madness. Friends who have done television say they’ve never heard of such a thing. But for me it’s always been that way.Whatever I’ve done I’ve done on the spur of the moment.”
Raveena Tandon: I couldn’t have asked for anyone better than my husband Anil
Raveena feels she has the best life she could hope for. “I have a perfect husband and two absolutely gorgeous children. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better than my husband Anil. He’s supportive, but not blindly so. He has his own point of view on everything and doesn’t mind expressing it. He’s from the film industry and knows what I am all about. He isn’t very demonstrative whereas I like to make my feelings crystal clear. With Anil I feel I’ve come home. I feel I can put my feet up and relax while he’ll take care of everything.”
Since Raveena is so much into her talk show we asked her to do a rapid-fire on her life.
The most important event of her life? “When I met the love of my life Anil Thadani. My life has always been a roller-coaster. Anil was a blessing. He saw me through a crisis. He gave me the strength to fight.”
The best films of her career so far? “Shool, Aks and Satta. My husband Anil has seen my films. But we’ve never discussed my performances. He did mention once that I was very good in Satta.”
The most important songs in her career? “Tu cheez badi hai mast-mast and Tip tip barsa paani. I still have boys coming up to tell me that Tip tip song was the one that helped them go from adolescence to maturity. Though I don’t want to probe into what they mean I take it as a compliment,” says the Bollywood actress.
Below Raveena Tandon seen with actor Akshay in the song Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast-Mast in the film Mohra.
