Raveena Tandon Biography – an Indian Actress and Padma Shri Awardee

Raveena Tandon (born 26 October 1972) is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi films. She is a recipient of several awards, including a National Film Award, two Filmfare Awards, and a Filmfare OTT Award. In 2023, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian honor.

The daughter of director Ravi Tandon, she made her acting debut in the 1991 action film Patthar Ke Phool, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Tandon established herself by playing the leading lady in the commercially successful action films Dilwale (1994), Mohra (1994), Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996), and Ziddi (1997). She earned a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1994 drama Laadla and the late 1990s, she collaborated with Govinda in several successful comedies, including Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), Dulhe Raja (1998) and Anari No.1 (1999). She also played against type in the crime dramas Ghulam-E-Mustafa (1997) and Shool (1999).

In the 2000s, Tandon ventured into arthouse cinema with roles in the 2001 films Daman and Aks, both of which garnered her critical acclaim, winning the National Film Award for Best Actress for the former and a Filmfare Special Performance Award for the latter. Post her marriage with film distributor Anil Thadani, Tandon took a break from films. She intermittently appeared on television with shows like the Sahara One drama Sahib Biwi Gulam (2004), the dance reality show Chak De Bachche (2008) and talk shows Isi Ka Naam Zindagi (2012) and Simply Baatien With Raveena (2014). After several years of hiatus, Tandon starred in the thriller Maatr (2017) and received praise for her leading role in the Netflix crime thriller series Aranyak (2021), winning a Filmfare OTT Award for Best Actress. Tandon had a supporting role in her highest-grossing release, K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022).

Tandon is also an environmentalist and has worked with PETA since 2002. Tandon has four children, two adopted and two with her husband.

Early life and background (Raveena Tandon Biography)

Tandon was born on 26 October 1972 in Bombay (present-day Mumbai) to filmmaker Ravi Tandon and Veena Tandon. Tandon is a niece of character actor Mac Mohan and thus a cousin of Manjari Makijany, his daughter. She has a brother Rajiv Tandon, who was married to actress Rakhee Tandon. She is also a cousin of actress Kiran Rathod.

Tandon received her education at Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu and attended Mithibai College in Mumbai. Tandon started her career as a model, but during her internship at Genesis PR, she got her first film offer. In an interview with Rediff Tandon stated,

I never thought I would become an actress. I was an intern at Genesis PR, helping [ad-man] Prahlad Kakkar, when friends and people around me started complimenting my looks. But [photographer-director] Shantanu Sheorey gave me the first break. He called and said he wanted to shoot with me. That was the time when models were becoming actors. I refused film offers. Prahlad kept saying millions of people are waiting for this chance and you keep refusing it. So I thought there is nothing to lose. Then Patthar Ke Phool happened.

Acting career (Raveena Tandon Biography)

Films

• All films are in Hindi unless otherwise noted.

Television (Raveena Tandon Biography)

Web series

Music videos

Music Song

• 2003:Appeared in Hum Ko To Hai Poora Yakeen made by MSN Cricket and Sports (MSN India) to support The Indian Cricket team for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003

Off-screen work

Tandon was the chairperson of the Children’s Film Society of India from 2003, but from 2004 the actress began to get complaints that she did not attend the organization‘s meetings and that she was not involved with the activities set up by the society. In September 2005, Tandon resigned from her post citing personal reasons.

In November 2005, Tandon sued the websites, Shaadi.com and Shaaditimes.com, claiming that they were using unauthorised images of her to promote the site. She also sued the owner of Satyanet Solutions, as they claimed that Tandon and her husband had met through the website.

In November 2002, Tandon sang to support People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. She has posed in many advertisement campaigns joining the likes of John Abraham, Shilpa Shetty, and Amisha Patel. On the issue of cows being slaughtered for their skin, she said “Their abuse at the hands of corrupt skin and meat traders must be stopped”.

In 2023, Tandon became the first person from the entertainment industry, chosen to be a delegate at W20, the Women’s Empowerment Engagement Wing at the G20 New Delhi summit.

Personal life (Raveena Tandon Biography)

Tandon adopted two girls, Pooja and Chhaya, as a single mother in 1995 when they were 11 and 8 years old, respectively. During the late 90s, Tandon was dating actor Akshay Kumar and had announced him as her boyfriend. Although they were engaged, they later parted ways.

Tandon began dating film distributor Anil Thadani, during the making of her film Stumped (2003). Their engagement was announced in November 2003. She married Thadani on 22 February 2004 in Jag Mandir Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan according to Punjabi Khatri and Sindhi traditions. Tandon gave birth to her daughter Rasha, in March 2005. In July 2008, she gave birth to her son Ranbirvardhan.

Public image (Raveena Tandon Biography)

Tandon has often been regarded as one of the most popular actresses of the 1990s. Devesh Sharma of Filmfare stated, “Tandon was one of the most vivacious actresses to have graced the silver screen.” Rediff.com noted, “Ravishing and Raveena are synonymous with each other.” Outlook India noted, “Tandon’s filmography boasts of commercial entertainers as well as offbeat movies.” Times Now termed the actress “ravishing and rebellious”.

Throughout her career, Tandon was widely known for her dance numbers. Praising her dance, Filmfare noted, “A natural dancer who radiated oomph by the bucket, Raveena set the silver screen on fire with her moves.” Tandon termed her performance in Shool and Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence, as the one that changed the perception of the audience. She added,

“People took me seriously as an actor after Shool and Daman. I was being perceived only as a ‘pretty face’ until these films showcased my acting capabilities.”

In 2023, the Government of India honored Tandon with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, for her contribution to Indian cinema. Tandon appeared on Forbes India‘s Celebrity 100 list of 2019, ranking 89th, with an estimated annual income of ₹24 million (US$300,000). She appeared on Box Office India’s list of three “Top Actresses” of 1994. Rediff.com placed Tandon in their “Top Bollywood Actresses” list, where she ranked 1st in 2002 and 5th in 2021. Tandon is a celebrity endorser for brands including iAir, Lux, 7 Up, and Emami. In 2016, Rapper Badshah used Tandon’s name in his song “Kar Gayi Chull”, from the film Kapoor & Sons.

Awards and nominations

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