Actor Raveena Tandon says humour in the 90s was uninhibited and unapologetic, something that is difficult to replicate in movies today as one never knows what will trigger a social media debate.
Tandon credits comedy hits like “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan”, “Aunty No. 1”, “Dulhe Raja”, “Pardesi Babu”, “Aakhiyon Se Goli Maare” and many more as the backbone of her career in Bollywood. But she believes the landscape has changed drastically over the years.
“Making people laugh without someone getting offended is probably the ultimate tightrope walk today, it is tough… In the 90s, there was an uninhibited, innocent, and totally unapologetic madness to our films. Chi Chi (Govinda) and I would react purely on instinct.
We weren’t overthinking how a joke would look on a 15-second internet clip or if a line would trigger a social media debate,” Tandon told PTI in an interview.
“…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 has made a comeback to the genre in “Welcome to the Jungle”, a multi-starrer comedy that reunites Tandon with her 90s “Mohrra” co-stars Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty.
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.
“Comedy has honestly been the backbone of my commercial identity. While intense, dramatic roles like ‘Daman’ or ‘Satta’ gave me critical validation and the National Award, it was comedy that built my deep connection with the masses. Even today, kids who weren’t even born in the 90s know me because of those loops on television and social media.”
Personally, Tandon said she is a fan of Sridevi who she credited for shaping her understanding of the genre. Tandon said the late actor was 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 mesmerizing,” she said.
Tandon also praised Juhi Chawla’s effortless comic timing and the incredible “witty spark” of yesteryear heroines like Geeta Bali and Madhubala in classic films like “Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi” and others.
The space for female-led comedy in the current landscape has shrunk, she said.
“The space has changed, and frankly, we’ve lost some of that organic playground we had in the 90s. Today, comedy films have become highly structured and heavily plot-driven, or they are huge ensembles,” she said.
“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. We need writers to intentionally create flawed, chaotic, and downright hilarious female protagonists without worrying about making them look perfect or politically correct all the time,” the actor said.
Tandon said she has already done her share of the traditional commercial grind of songs, dances, and formula structures across decades. At this point in her life, the actor said she has nothing left to prove to anyone and just wants to do projects that give her “a magnificent sense of creative freedom”.
Tandon recently featured in a range of projects, including OTT series “Aranyak”, courtroom drama “Patna Shukla”, and the blockbuster “KGF: Chapter 2”, among others.
She said she is particularly 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,” Tandon said.
“I can’t relate to weak, passive characters because that’s not who I am 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,” she said.
“Welcome to the Jungle” is a third part in the “Welcome” franchise, which was released in 2007 with Akshay Kumar. The second movie, “Welcome Back”, came out in 2015 and it starred John Abraham. Both the movies were directed by Anees Bazmee.
The new instalment is doing well at the box office and has already earned over Rs 100 crores at the box office since its release last Friday.
The movie is helmed by Ahmed Khan and is presented by Jio Studios in association with AA Nadiadwala, is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Firoz A. Nadiadwallah
Actors 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, Zakir Hussain, among others round out the cast of the film. (PTI)
