India’s Best Dancer 3: From breaking stereotypes with Aks to improving comic timing with Govinda; Raveena Tandon spills the beans of 90s Bollywood

In the midst of the impressive dance acts and captivating host, Jay Bhanushali, there will be an exciting rapid-fire session with the fabulous Raveena Tandon. She will reveal her Bollywood bestie and surprise everyone!

Raveena Tandon will share about her close friend in Bollywood, stating, “I have some wonderful friends in the industry, such as the enchanting Madhuri Dixit, the graceful Shilpa Shetty, and the unforgettable Sridevi. But if I had to choose one ride-or-die, it would be the one and only Govinda, lovingly known as Chi Chi. We have always shared a deep love for music and dancing. My comic timing improved greatly because of Chi Chi. Even in our dance collaborations, we were incredibly fast – we completed ‘Kahi Disco Main Jaye’ in just one and a half days and ‘Akhiyon Se Goli Maare’ in a single day! We would start shooting early in the morning at 9:30-10:00 AM and finish by 6:00 PM. We used to shoot the different parts of the song simultaneously. And the friendly rivalry – if he nailed a shot, I had to give my best. Our chemistry was magical, fueled by our energy and a bit of healthy competition!”

Judge Geeta Kapur asked Raveena about her bold choices during a time when heroines typically opted for safe characters to play. She said, “During that period, heroines would usually take on sweet and beautiful roles that the heroes would fall in love with. However, your role in ‘Aks’ was different and much darker. I don’t remember heroines often choosing such roles during that time.”

Responding to the question, Raveena shared her perspective, saying, “You’re absolutely right, Geeta. In that era, heroines were afraid of being typecast, and we often found ourselves playing roles that depicted sweet and well-off father-daughter dynamics, dancing to catchy tunes with ponytails. I made a conscious effort to take on films and songs that broke that mold. Whether it was ‘Daman,’ which addressed a sensitive issue, or ‘Aks,’ where I portrayed a completely negative character, and later the film ‘Satta,’ these projects were all different from the usual trends of the late ’90s. Interestingly, many of my songs became massive hits, sometimes overshadowing the depth of the characters we were portraying. Nevertheless, I believe I have not only survived but thrived in my career, reaching great heights today with projects like ‘KGF 2’ and more to come. My secret, I believe, lies in embracing new characters and breathing life into them – that’s my craft. In our time, we earned the opportunity to choose such roles after establishing ourselves, but nowadays, this trend has shifted to earlier stages. In the past, sweet roles and catchy songs were the norm, and stepping into unconventional roles felt like a daring choice.”