Raveena Tandon: ‘Yash, Prabhas and Ram Charan are now pan-Indian names’

The actor on being part of ‘KGF: Chapter 2,’ why language is never a barrier for her, and working with the biggest actors across the country

“It is no longer about the south and north film industry, our films are becoming pan-Indian and I’m proud of it,” says Raveena Tandon, who will be seen in the second chapter of the much-awaited film  K.G.F.

She doesn’t see it as an ephemeral phase or a competition with Bollywood . “I don’t believe in the idea of ‘woods’. It is a farcical nomenclature for our hard-working industry. We are now a united and integrated industry that has become a stronger force to reckon with. There is no competition as the cast and crew from different parts of the country are working together to make the concepts come alive,” says Raveena.

Playing the Prime  Minister of the  country in the Yash-starrer, Raveena reminds  K.G.F is her second Kannada film, after  Upendra which, she says, has become a cult classic over the years. “Language has never been a barrier and I loved the professionalism of the south,” says the actor who has worked with Kamal Haasan and Nagarjuna as well.

Analysing the factors behind the newfound pan-Indian craze of films from the southern states, Raveena says, “I don’t think there have been many cultural differences. The only difference was that in the ‘90s, Hindi cinema was ‘Hollywoodised’. There was too much of western influence, while the films from the south always remained rooted in the culture and told stories that the masses could identify with. Thankfully, the lines have sort of fused now.”

She gives credit to her husband Anil Thadani for distributing behemoths like  Bahubali,  K.G.F, and  Pushpa across the country. Factors like acting styles and face value, she agrees, have become redundant. “Audience in the Hindi belt would not have been thronging to theatres, had they not been accepting the acting styles or identifying with the emotions. They are loving the content-driven cinema but at the same time you can’t deny that Yash, Prabhas and Ram Charan are now pan-Indian names.”

With her performance as Kasturi Dogra in  Aranyak finding popular and critical acclaim, Raveena is on a rebound. “I don’t take total credit for the performance. As a mother and a career woman, I could identify with the  duvidha (dilemma) of Kasturi but when the character is written so well, it becomes easier for the actor to imagine and portray it.” She thanks the diction coach for helping her in imbibing the Himachali accent. The challenge, she says, was to become the character despite all the noise of  Aranyak being Raveena’s OTT debut. “I had refused many offers because they wanted me to play myself. I have always looked for quality over quantity and a challenge before I get bored of the routine.”

Comparing the 90s with the present, Raveena says the streaming universe has broadened the horizons of not just the filmmakers and actors, but also of the audience. “I don’t think in the ‘90s, any commercial film actor would have shown the courage of doing a  Pushpa. In those days, not just the heroines, even the heroes played safe with their image. A little experiment would mean that the film was labeled as off-beat. Watching Allu Arjun, with his unique shoulder and dance movement, is so refreshing,” says the  Aks actor.