Raveena Tandon on female empowerment and Padma Shri recognition

(Photo: Raveena Tandon/Instagram)

Actor Raveena Tandon, who recently received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, shared that the recognition is for her body of work in cinema, where she has always tried to pick socially relevant stories with strong female characters. The actor, who has been a part of critically acclaimed movies like Maatr, Satta, and Daman, said her endeavor has always been to associate with films that speak of women empowerment.

Tandon’s filmography boasts of commercial entertainers as well as off-beat movies in the ’90s and early 2000s. In a recent interview, she shared that her most recent work includes the Netflix show Aranyak and KGF: Chapter 2. The actor believes female artists have better opportunities than they had in the ’90s, an era dominated by male stars.

Tandon also shared that she is hopeful that things will become better in every way, including pay parity. According to her, the positive change can be seen as women are at the forefront, whether as directors, producers, or heads of programming in OTT or the TV industry.

The actor, who has been in the film industry for over three decades, said she still does not consider herself a successful actor because she believes acting is a craft that one never stops learning. Tandon said she still gets “butterflies” in her stomach before a difficult shot, and that feeling is good because it makes her give her best.

Re-reported from the story originally published in Indian Express