Raveena Tandon, the Bollywood actor known for her comic roles in the 1990s, has described modern comedy as a challenging tightrope walk where offending anyone is a constant risk. In an interview, she contrasted the uninhibited humour of her heyday with today's cautious filmmaking environment.
90s Humour vs. Today's Caution
Tandon said that in the 1990s, comedy was innocent, unapologetic, and instinctive. She recalled working with Govinda, saying they reacted purely on instinct without overthinking how jokes would appear on social media clips. 'That raw, purely character-driven, loud-and-proud humour of the 90s is rare now because filmmakers are constantly second-guessing themselves. We've become a bit too cautious, and comedy desperately needs freedom to breathe,' she added.
The actor credits hits like 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan', 'Aunty No. 1', 'Dulhe Raja', and 'Pardesi Babu' as the backbone of her career. However, she believes the landscape has shifted drastically, making it tough to make people laugh without causing offence.
Return to Comedy with 'Welcome to the Jungle'
Tandon has made a comeback to the genre with 'Welcome to the Jungle', a multi-starrer comedy that reunites her with 90s 'Mohrra' co-stars Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty. The film has earned over Rs 100 crore at the box office since its release last Friday.
'Comedy taught me spontaneity, improvisation, and the importance of losing all inhibitions on screen. It is an incredibly giving genre, if you can successfully make people laugh, they keep you in their hearts forever. Returning to it now with 'Welcome to the Jungle' feels like coming home to a room full of old friends,' she said.
She noted that comedy built her deep connection with the masses, while intense roles like 'Daman' or 'Satta' gave her critical validation and a National Award. 'Even today, kids who weren't even born in the 90s know me because of those loops on television and social media.'
Inspiration from Sridevi and Other Comediennes
Tandon praised the late Sridevi as the ultimate gold standard for female comic performances in Indian cinema. 'What she did in 'Mr India', the whole 'Hawa Hawai' sequence, 'Charlie Chaplin' act and 'Chaal Baaz' was sheer genius. She proved that a mainstream, gorgeous heroine could twist her face, be utterly goofy, do slapstick, and still look absolutely mesmerising,' she said.
She also lauded Juhi Chawla's effortless comic timing and the witty spark of yesteryear heroines like Geeta Bali and Madhubala in classic films like 'Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'.
Shrinking Space for Female-Led Comedy
Tandon observed that the space for female-led comedy has shrunk in the current landscape. 'Today, comedy films have become highly structured and heavily plot-driven, or they are huge ensembles. In the process, the heroine comic tracks have shrunk. Today's girls are incredibly sharp, polished, and have fantastic timing, but the scripts often confine them to being glamorous catalyst characters rather than full-fledged comedic dynamos.'
She called for writers to intentionally create flawed, chaotic, and hilarious female protagonists without worrying about making them look perfect or politically correct all the time.
Current Projects and Creative Freedom
Tandon recently featured in projects including OTT series 'Aranyak', courtroom drama 'Patna Shukla', and blockbuster 'KGF: Chapter 2'. She said she is drawn to stories centred on strong women navigating complex systems. 'What excites me today is the element of surprise. I want to pick projects that make people say, 'Oh, she can do that too?' I'm solely chasing scripts that keep me on my toes and respect my maturity as a performer.'
She added that she cannot relate to weak, passive characters because that is not who she is in real life. 'Women today are balancing professions, navigating deep systemic biases, handling complex family dynamics, and standing up to power structures every single day. Our cinema needs to reflect that reality.'
'Welcome to the Jungle' is the third part of the 'Welcome' franchise, directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Firoz A Nadiadwallah. The cast includes Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Aftab Shivdasani, Jackie Shroff, Daler Mehndi, Mika Singh, Lara Dutta, Jacqueline Fernandez, Disha Patani, Urvashi Rautela, Farida Jalal, Krushna Abhishek, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Vindu Dara Singh, Kiran Kumar, and Zakir Hussain, among others.
