As Raveena Tandon turns 50, let's look back at how she turned down five major film offers before making her debut.
has carved a remarkable niche for herself in the film industry. Born on October 26, 1974, her journey to stardom is as intriguing as her performances on screen. An acclaimed Indian actress, producer, and television personality, she has received numerous accolades, including National Film Awards. Today, Raveena, famously known as the ‘Mast Mast Girl’ of Bollywood, celebrates her 50th birthday. With a flourishing career in Hindi cinema that began with her debut film ‘Patthar Ke Phool,’ she has gone on to star in a series of blockbuster hits like ‘Mohra,’ ‘Dilwale,’ and ‘Laadla.’ Her iconic dance number, ‘Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast,’ looted the hearts of audiences. Interestingly, before her debut film in 1991, she turned down five big film offers! To know more about this fascinating aspect of her journey, read on.
Actor Raveena Tandon, who made her debut alongside Salman Khan in ‘Patthar Ke Phool', said that she turned down five to six film offers prior to her first role. Raveena admitted that acting was never her goal, which led her to reject various projects that came her way. She said no to films like ‘Jungle,’ ‘Heer Ranjha,’ a project with Lucky Ali, a film by Pahlaj Nihalani, ‘Prem Qaidi,’ and even ‘Phool Aur Kaante.’ Her uncertainty about pursuing a film career made her hesitant to commit. ‘Phool Aur Kaante’ (1991) went on to become a major hit, launching the careers of Madhoo and Ajay Devgn, while ‘Prem Qaidi’ introduced Karishma Kapoor to audiences.
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Raveena recalled how Salman took to watching her work before casting her in ‘Patthar Ke Phool.’ “At that time, Bunty Walia, a friend and co-model, told Salman he should meet me, saying I was the next big thing,” she shared. Destiny seemed to play a role as Salman came to see her work, and then the process of accepting the film to begin working on it happened remarkably fast.
Directed by Anant Balani and written by Salim Khan, ‘Patthar Ke Phool’ tells the story of a young police officer who falls in love at first sight with the daughter of a gangster. The film became one of the year’s top-grossing Bollywood hits, earning Tandon the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her performance. Following their debut, Raveena and Salman teamed up in several more films, like ‘Andaz Apna Apna’, ‘Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye’ and others.
