In an exclusive flashback interview with Lehren, Raveena Tandon opens up on her national award controversy which caught the public's eye when the artist won a national award for the best actress category for her acting in Daman (2001). Tandon's uncle, Mac Mohan was a member of the national award jury, being the main news which attracted the needless controversy after her win. Raveena also mentions megastar actors Amitabh Bachchan & Shatrughan Sinha's example while carlifying her stand in the national award case. The actress gives her funny take on joining politics & reveals plans for rejoining movies post marriage.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Hello, my name is Raveena Tandon and I would like to take this time to say that I have a lot of best wishes for Lehren.
00:10It literally feels like we have grown in this industry with these Lehren and with this Lehren only.
00:18From the time we started, I remember that Lehren was the first pioneer, a filmy news program.
00:31I think it was the first introduction for us as to how Bollywood will look on TV.
00:38And I would like to say that this was the first program, but it was the same program where we, the industry people, used to think that this is our own program.
00:51It never felt like Lehren, or us, the stars, or us, the actors, wants to do bad things, or there is any negativity, or this program is against us.
01:02It felt like it is our program, it is for us, and we were definitely for Lehren at that time, and we will still be.
01:09And as I said in the beginning, we have a lot of best wishes, and we are so happy that you are back.
01:15At that time, when the controversy was that my uncle was on the jury, he gave me an award.
01:25It was very easy. He is a superstar at the level of Amitabh Bachchan.
01:29He controlled all the different people from 16 states and gave me an award.
01:37The day I went into politics, someone will shoot me.
01:40Because I can't change the truth into a lie.
01:44It becomes difficult for me, if I don't like something or something happens, it comes on my face suddenly.
01:50If you look at it, everyone is my uncle.
01:52I have seen Shatruji since he has been working with my father.
01:55And then one after the other, one after the other.
01:57Now I am not happy with this, they have made Shatruji my uncle.
02:00Now maybe someone else will be next.
02:06The time has changed in the industry that the heroine returns as the lead heroine even after marriage.
02:12Are you planning to make a comeback?
02:15See, right now the kids are very small.
02:18They need me more, so that I need work.
02:22So, the offers are coming, I am reading the scripts.
02:26Something good will happen, which will make me so excited that I think of doing something.
02:33I will definitely do it, but not right now.
02:35I don't know why, but it seems that you will definitely go into politics someday.
02:39Because you are a very substantial woman.
02:42The day I go into politics, someone will shoot me.
02:46Because I can't change the truth into a lie.
02:49And it becomes difficult for me.
02:53If I don't like something or something happens, it comes on my face suddenly.
02:58And I start fighting about it.
03:01So, maybe in today's world, honesty is not the best policy.
03:06So, whoever says to me, come on now, you have to join politics.
03:12I say, I will be assassinated so soon.
03:14It will be difficult.
03:16Did you get any offers from any political party?
03:18No.
03:19Even if it comes, I won't tell you.
03:21Recently, in the block, in Shatrughan Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan,
03:25you were criticized a lot for the national award you got.
03:29Did you feel hurt by that?
03:32I was not hurt at all.
03:35In fact, this is a surprising thing.
03:39Like I said before, honesty is not the best policy.
03:42Because at that time, the controversy was that my uncle was in the jury.
03:52So, he gave me an award.
03:54It was very easy.
03:56He is a superstar at the level of Amitabh Bachchan.
03:59He took everyone from 16 states under his control and gave me an award.
04:07Maybe Amit was saying something like this.
04:09I don't know.
04:11Because I was in London.
04:13Because it was so stupid that no journalist even called me and asked me.
04:18Normally, I get SMS from journalists, your comment, your comment.
04:22No one even called me and asked me.
04:24So, I really didn't pay attention to it.
04:26But as I hear, there is some controversy in every national award.
04:31It happened this time too.
04:35I think Amitji was the one who got the controversy that Amitji is getting the national award.
04:39So, I think when Amitji can get controversy on getting the national award,
04:44then I think national award is such a thing that someone always points the finger.
04:49And this controversy was suppressed.
04:51I think Amitji didn't know.
04:54The man who accused me for the first time,
04:58he himself gave me a public apology.
05:00Mr. Pradeep Kishan.
05:02You were in Zee at that time.
05:04On Zee TV, I had given an apology.
05:06He himself gave me a public apology on national television.
05:11So, the controversy was suppressed there.
05:13Who was he?
05:15Mr. Pradeep Kishan.
05:16I think he is the husband of Arundhati Roy.
05:18He also apologized to you.
05:21He even apologized to me that I had a misunderstanding.
05:25See, when there is award controversy,
05:28if you have a relative in the jury,
05:30or there is someone in the jury,
05:32who votes for you,
05:34and you win the award through him.
05:36Controversy happens then.
05:38Right?
05:39This is because people want to spread something,
05:42so it has been spread.
05:44Because when they came to know,
05:46when my uncle,
05:48if you see, everyone is my uncle.
05:50I have seen Mr. Shatru since he has been working with my father.
05:53In future, if Amit ji is in a jury,
05:55I can also say that he is my uncle and I have won the award.
05:58So, this can also happen.
06:00So, you cannot really keep talking about it.
06:04So, when he read the rules,
06:06he had reached Delhi,
06:07the jury had been formed.
06:09When he read the rules,
06:10he came to know that my film has been nominated,
06:12he himself went and told the chairperson,
06:16Ma'am, it was Vyjayanti Mala ji.
06:18And Mr. McMohan.
06:19Yes.
06:20I came to know this later.
06:22I don't know the details,
06:23but I know that he himself went and said,
06:25Ma'am, I am related to him, what should I do?
06:28What should I do now?
06:29So, he said, the jury has already been formed,
06:31you don't worry,
06:32when it's your turn,
06:33you don't vote.
06:35In fact, I have got one vote less than him.
06:39I got 16 votes,
06:40I got 15 votes.
06:42He didn't vote.
06:43He was sent out of the room.
06:45When the heroine was voted,
06:47he was sitting outside the room.
06:49He didn't even sit in the voting.
06:54And people didn't even know about this.
06:55This is because,
06:56once the controversy erupted,
06:58once the headlines came in the newspaper,
07:00so there was a scandal,
07:01there was a trial by the media.
07:03You take the flag of truth,
07:07you know,
07:08keep flying, keep flying,
07:09but no one is ready to die,
07:10because what is juicy,
07:11what is more believable,
07:12people will believe it.
07:14It is also sellable.
07:15It is sellable.
07:16In fact, I lost out.
07:17And that's why I said,
07:18honesty may be today,
07:19is not the best policy.
07:22If he would have been silent,
07:23maybe no one would have known,
07:24but he himself got up and said,
07:26look, this is how it is.
07:27Then he called me and said,
07:28son, your picture is in the nomination.
07:30I said, oh, okay.
07:32That was it.
07:34And then one after the other,
07:35one after the other,
07:36now he is not happy with this,
07:37now he has made Mr. Shatru my uncle.
07:39Now maybe someone else will be next.
07:41I don't know what's happening.
07:43Apart from this,
07:44if we talk about big stars,
07:45big stars used to be afraid
07:46of coming on TV,
07:47that their value will end.
07:49But now,
07:50since Amit Ji's KBC came,
07:52and after that Shah Rukh Salman,
07:53everyone came,
07:54and you came,
07:55so he feels that time has changed.
07:56I think first and foremost,
07:57the one who set the example
07:58was Shah Rukh.
08:00He did a circus serial
08:01and then he became a very big star.
08:02But he was not a star then.
08:03And he started.
08:04After Amit Ji's star,
08:06he came on TV,
08:07KBC.
08:08And everyone stopped him
08:09that don't go,
08:10the value will end.
08:11And then he rose to fame again.
08:13Now everyone has started coming.
08:14So do you think
08:15that there is no risk
08:16of coming on TV now?
08:17It has become a different medium.
08:19I think there is no risk at all
08:20because TV has become
08:21such a big medium
08:23that there is TV at home.
08:25If you go to a village today,
08:27there may not be a cinema hall,
08:29but there will definitely be a TV.
08:30There will be a satellite.
08:31And the star value
08:32still doesn't end.
08:33It doesn't end at all.
08:34I think in today's day and age,
08:36it only keeps you alive,
08:38honestly.
08:40Raveena, thank you very much.
08:42Thank you so much
08:43for giving us this time
08:44to give this exclusive interview.