Raveena Tandon has time and again said that she never wanted to be an actress, and entered Bollywood by default. Yet, here she is, 30 years after her Bollywood debut, starting a new phase in her career. The actress will soon be seen making her OTT debut with Netflix’s crime thriller Aranyak, streaming from December 10. She will be seen donning a cop’s uniform for the first time in her career.
Aranyak is set in a hill station, with Raveena adopting a very different dialect and body language for her role of Kasturi Dogra, a woman fighting for her place in a man’s world. In an interview with News18, the actress spoke about what appealed to her the most about Aranyak, and possible comparisons with other female cops we have seen on screen. Excerpts:
We have never seen you before in a role like the one in Aranyak. How unique was this experience for you?
I completely felt for the character, Kasturi Dogra. She is an extremely talented and passionate woman who wants to take care of her family, as well as excel at her job. To be a policewoman has been a childhood dream for her. There are so many Kasturi Dogras out there who probably do not get enough support from family, or the privilege to pursue their dreams. So that part about her character touched me, and then of course the fact that it’s a crime thriller.
Netflix also has a very strong line-up of very strong, female character actor shows, which have come out beautifully. So this wasn’t something I had to think three times about. I always think twice before doing anything, but beyond that there was no way I wouldn’t have done this.
How did you adopt the body language and accent required for the role?
We were prepping for the show during the pandemic, over zoom calls. We didn’t meet everyone personally because of the situation. So all the readings and understanding of the roles happened virtually. But the real work started when we actually reached the location, because then we sat in front of each other and did the readings. We spoke personally with each other, otherwise till then we had only met on zoom. I had met Vinay Waikul (director) and Parambrata (Chatterjee, co-star) only on Zoom. It took me a couple of days to get into gear, after that it was all good.
In the trailer we see Kasturi fighting for the opportunity that she has been waiting for all her life. Do you relate to the character on a personal level?
I might not identify with her, but I definitely do relate to her. So many women reach a point where they get these opportunities and end up making sacrifices because of their responsibilities towards their families. Everyone has those responsibilities, but the onus is always on the woman to make the sacrifices. And that’s the kind of message we want to give out that everyone in the family has to take up a bit of responsibility, lend a helping hand so that she can also take care of her job.
That is where I think families can also come out in support for a woman who is out there trying to achieve her dreams. Specially for women in uniform, who have to give in so much to the job, both physically and mentally. They have to be alert all the time. There’s no room for ‘Oh, I am exhausted’, because the next bullet could have their name on it.
I have seen a lot of women traffic constables in Mumbai, and other policewomen, they wake up in the morning, probably make lunch for their husband and children, send them off to school, iron their uniforms and go to work and whole day they are there. Then they probably return home, make dinner, sit down with the kids for their homework and then go to sleep. There I think family members could rise up to the occasion more and help them out.
Delhi Crime was a very successful show by Netflix, with a policewoman at the centre. Are you wary of any comparisons?
Delhi Crime was based on a true incident that had horrified the entire nation. That is one of my favourite shows as well, which needed to be made. As a story, it is very very close to all of us, we felt it in our hearts. Aranyak is pure fiction. We have created a situation, a fictional tale, but among real people. So the entire thing is different. I don’t think a true story can ever be compared to a fictional tale.
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