Raveena Tandon on her digital debut in 'Aranyak': Said no to many series that went on to be hits

Raveena Tandon is cautiously jubilant about the success of her web series 'Aranyak'. “I never go into anything with too many expectations. If it works, I am happy. If it doesn’t, I don’t sit and curse my kismet over it. 'Aranyak' seemed special from the day it was narrated to me. I had earlier said no to so many web shows. Some of them went to be hit. I would sometimes  wonder, did I  make  a  mistake by saying no to those  serials?”

Raveena has no regrets about saying no to so many serials. “I have no time or patience for regrets. I firmly believe what has to happen will happen at the right time. I never was the Friday-fever kind of star, shivering about the fate of my films every week. If they worked, and a majority of them did, fine. Or else better luck next time.”

'Aranyak' has surprised many cynics by its level of acceptability. So is this party-time for actresses above 40?  “I feel the doors were opening even before the  OTT took over during the pandemic.  The new generation of actresses like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt had so much more to do in their films than I had an opportunity to do. Back then when I did something like 'Shool' or 'Daman'  I was criticized for breaking the commercial economics. If you did something out of the box you were seen as a spoilsport. I had to work so hard on convincing Ram Gopal Varma that I was right for the role of the Bihari housewife in 'Shool'. He was like, ‘Raveena, when I close my eyes I don’t see  you in that character.’”

For Raveena doors were opening even before the OTT explosion. “I  was offered KGF 2 long before 'Aranyak' on Netflix. I was supposed to be in Part 1 also. But at that point in time, I  was not sure if I wanted to be in a star-driven franchise. So they used my body double in Part  1. In Part  2 I am there in a significant  role.”

Raveena is now considering other projects on OTT. “I am looking at scripts. Most of them are very interesting and they have powerful roles for me. But I have to think of other factors. My children and my husband, who are the biggest kid of them all, need my time and attention. At this juncture of my life, I can’t be studio-hopping. I’ve nothing to prove.”