‘Heroines Still Get Paid Less Than Heroes’

‘Heroes get private chartered planes while we don’t even make as much money.’

Raveena Tandon is in London and Scotland shooting for an OTT series. It’s mostly all work, but on screen, she is making merry in the jungle with her latest release, Welcome To The Jungle.

In a two-part interview with Rediff Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya, Raveena looks back at the film, and says, “I’m looking forward to the day when I can really let my hair down as uninhibitedly as the boys.”

‘The secret to making a good ensemble film is not one-upmanship’

After a spate of intense performances in recent films and web series, what was it like returning to an out-and-out, hero-driven, mainstream comedy with an ensemble cast of 32 actors?

It was a crazy ride and a refreshing change for me.

A lot, including the style of filmmaking, has changed since my superhit, madcap comedies in the ’90s, like Andaz Apna Apna and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.

As a result, I had to do a lot of unlearning, but it wasn’t difficult at all because I was supported by talented actors like Suniel (Shetty), Akshay (Kumar), Arshad (Warsi), Paresh (Rawal), Johny (Lever) sir, Rajpal (Yadav), Jacqueline (Fernandez) and Disha (Patani).

And then there was Ahmed (Khan, director)!

No other director could have pulled off a film like this better than Ahmed who not only did justice to the subject, but from the senior most actor to the youngest, he gave everyone their due respect.

Every actor is greedy and wants to make the best of the time they have when in the frame. But during this film, no one overstepped or questioned Ahmed.

Keeping their egos aside, everyone worked together as a team for the film, the motto being logon ko pasand ani chahiye (people should like it).

The secret to making a good ensemble film is not one-upmanship, it’s about timing and fitting in.

How did you handle the transition from intense to illogical?

Well, I admit that a film like Welcome To The Jungle is what you would call ‘theatre of the absurd’. But then, even the iconic comedies of Jim Carey, Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy, to name a few of the greats, are spoofs.

They are slapstick, they are satire, made unapologetically to entertain. They defy logic and realism, and that, for me, was the biggest USP of this film.

Along with the audience, I too could unabashedly dive into the joyful chaos.

Off screen, it was like going for a picnic in the park.

On screen, the writing is more defined today and heroines have more agency, but the really funny lines still go to the heroes.

I’m looking forward to the day when I can really let my hair down as uninhibitedly as the boys.

‘The three of us bonded instantly because of our love for animals and animal advocacy’

One saw a lot of girl bonding between Jacqueline, Disha and you, both on screen and off it.

Yes, the three of us bonded instantly because of our love for animals and animal advocacy. We are crazy about dogs, cats, rabbits, goats, in fact, every animal.

(Laughs) Once I got my cats on the set and they were gushing over them.

Also, on that nine-acre jungle set, there was a six-month-old Indie puppy. We fed her, chatted with her and took care of her. When the unit packed up, it broke my heart to leave her there.

So, I called PETA, had her vaccinated, named her Zoya after my character in the film, and took her to my farmhouse. That’s where this lovely little lady lives now.

Zoya has brought us all a lot of luck.

‘Child who bullies the weak and the voiceless could grow up to become a criminal’

That’s so lovely. But today, animal lovers and activists like you are facing a lot of challenges with housing societies seeking to ban pets and politicians wanting to exterminate strays. How do you deal with all this toxicity?

Gandhiji would say that a nation’s greatness is recognised by the compassion and kindness it shows its animals.

India has one of the most stunning bio-diversities in the world, whether it’s our forests, wildlife or the entire ecosystem. And the only thing we have managed to do is ruin everything.

Statistically, it’s been proven that any child who bullies the weak and the voiceless could grow up to become a criminal, be it a child molester or domestic violence perpetrator.

That’s because somewhere along the way, they dehumanise themselves from the pain and emotion of another living creature.

I’m grateful to schools for introducing wildlife awareness and environmental awareness in their curriculum. Hopefully, it will help make our planet healthy again.

Do we need better legislation?

I would say that in some ways, our laws are excellent in that nobody can stop anyone living in a housing society from keeping pets.

Of course, there’s also a need for hygiene and cleanliness.

I tell the feeders that just putting food in front of strays, like they are doing seva (charity), is not enough. If they really love these animals, they should take care of them properly, get them spayed and vaccinated first even if it’s at their own cost.

The basic failure for the authorities is that the ABC (Animal Birth Control) programme could not be implanted properly. Had that worked, we would not have been battling the stray dog menace today.

Animals could have been controlled through neutering and vaccination. What is being done today is a very cruel way of keeping dogs off from the roads. Surely there are more humane ways of dealing with the problem.

Animals are as important as human beings because often they are the sole protectors of lower income housing societies.

These jhopdas (shanties) in small, dark streets which cannot afford to hire security guards depend on the street dogs to keep them safe at night.

‘Our laws are very strong towards women, so strong that sometimes I feel compelled to stand by men’

You have always raised your voice for women’s rights. It’s another matter that in 2026, we are still fighting against gender discrimination.

I’m glad I was born in a country like India where women will continue to be revered as devis because of the power given to us by the Constitution.

Our laws are very strong towards women, in fact, so strong that sometimes I feel compelled to stand by men who have been falsely implicated in dowry or domestic violence cases and thrown behind bars.

Paradoxically, while some women know their rights, maybe a little too well, others, living in the remote interiors, are still largely unaware. That’s why I speak so freely. I hope they will see my Instagram posts and realisation will dawn.

Has the status quo changed within the Hindi film industry?

I’m very proud of our Hindi film industry where today, I see women making inroads into every field of expertise, even what were once male-dominated bastions.

We not only have female directors, but DoPs (Director of Photography) and ADs (Assistant Directors) too.

Women are heading channels and even running production houses successfully. There is a lot more inclusivity and fairness now, except in one area.

And that is?

While a male and female assistant director would get the same remuneration, heroines still get paid less than heroes.

They get private chartered planes while we don’t even make as much money.

Unfortunately, that discrimination still exists.

But I’m sure, with time, even that will, slowly and steadily, even out.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff