Mumbai, October 02: Kolkata is not new to her. But what was new was her presence as judge for Dance Pe Chance Boudimoni. Incidentally, this association with a Bengali reality show has been the first of its kind for Raveena Tandon Thadani. Truth is, this was also the first time that the working mom was away from her kids.
“Though it was a short trip, I’d keep counting the days left for me to reach Mumbai,” she said, adding, “My four-and-a-half year old daughter has started school. I prefer keeping my professional image away from my persona at home. I haven’t even showed them my films. I want them to have a normal childhood. That’s why I usually don’t bring them along on shoots.”
And so caught up was she with a gruelling shooting schedule that Raveena was hard-pressed for time to do much else. “Whenever I come to Kolkata, I have a long to-do list. They include Kalighat darshan, picking up stuff from a good sari shop, packing mishti doi and sugar-free sandesh for my in-laws and mom and, of course, catching up with friends.
This time, my daughter wanted colourful bangles. The unit helped my hairdresser get the sandesh and bangles,” the actor said.
But this mother needs no tips when it comes to raising her children. Having been the judge of kids’ reality shows like Chhote Miyan and Chak De Bachche, one wonders how she’d react if her kids ever wanted to be part of such shows. “I’ll tell them what’s right and wrong but never stop them from doing what they want. Irrespective of the outcome, I’ll always support them,” Raveena insisted about her children’s support system.
She, however, is back to the filmi grill with Revathy Varma’s Aap Ke Liye Hum, Soumik Sen’s Gulab Gang and Milind Ukey’s Aditya Met Avantika. Though it was reported that GG would have her playing Mayawati, Raveena was quick to clarrify: “It’s based on a true story about an all-women gang in UP. But I don’t play Mayawati. It’s about a politician in UP.”
Having been the heartthrob of the masses once, is she choosy about doing movies for the classes now? To this the actor said, “It’s not a question of doing films for the classes or the masses. Every actor needs to do a reality check about how much one had evolved. I’d like doing respectable films that suit my personality. I want to pick up from where I had left off.”
—Agencies