Bollywood star Raveena Tandon has some gory experiences to recall. Recently, in an interview, she opened up about being slut-shamed and body-shamed in her youth.
“It was sad at that time,” she remembered that she couldn’t do anything about it. But she braved those times, thanks to her parents, and co-stars like Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt who came in her support. Luckily, things are now changing.
Labeled ‘Thunder Thighs’ in Early Days
Like any other industry newcomer, Raveena Tandon also entered Bollywood with high hopes. She says that she carried just one rupee in her pocket when she came looking for roles in movies. Despite having no Godfather, she made it here.
But, Tandon recalls it is not without a fight. She had to face many demeaning comments like “thunder thighs” said right in front of her. Other derogatory terms she encountered in her description were “Amazonian body frame.” The directors, casting agents, and producers were not the ones that used these terms.
In all honesty, the “Karmma Calling” actor confesses that it is the media that was cruel towards most heroines.
“Everyone very easily blames the film industry, but the film industry was the one that gave me chances. The media was body-shaming us. Editors who were women were busy slut-shaming heroines, trying to prove how nasty they were or trying to question anyone’s body, face, or hair. It was sad at that time,” she said.
Support from Parents
Raveena Tandon faced many challenges in the form of critics, mobs, and even colleagues. But all through this, her support system was mainly her family who gave her strength during those tough times.
“At least I had a strong upbringing, a stable house, and my parents, who were my backbone, who were with me when I was at my lowest. That is a bad phase for anyone to go through,” she added.
At one point, Raveena even considered going under the knife to fit into certain standards. “A lot of female actors felt pressured to go through surgeries, but luckily I didn’t have to go through that. There was a point when I was starving myself, and then I realised, that’s seriously unhealthy what I’m doing to myself.”
Raveena Tandon Credits Co-Stars
Speaking of workplace safety for women, she recalled an incident when her co-stars Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan stood up for her. During film shoots, they gave Raveena Tandon the support she needed to face challenging situations.
For instance, in one Dalhousie shoot for a film starring Suniel Shetty, she recalls that some unruly folks disrupted the scene. Soon, the whole crew carried rods to defend her and other females on the set. The “Andaz Apna Apna” star recounts that there were very few women working in films back then.
But now, the film industry is evolving; she says. It is the first that she is collaborating with a female Director of Photography (DoP) for her new project “Patna Shuklla.” It will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
Raveen Tandon hoped that many more female cinematographers, directors, producers, etc., would enter the workforce.