In tonight’s episode, get ready for the temperature to rise as India’s Best Dancer 3 welcomes Raveena Tandon as a special guest. The episodes, titled Dance Diva Special will see the contestants leave no stone unturned to impress the stunning actress as they groove to some of her most iconic chartbusters. One of the show's standout moments will be the mesmerising performance by contestant Samarpan Lama and choreographer Bhawna Khanduja, as they groove to the sensual track, Yeh Raat from the movie Aks.
Watching their breathtaking performance, Raveena Tandon was transported back in time to the shoot of this song, and she reflected on her career in Bollywood when heroines were more often typecast as mere love interests. Sharing the challenges she faced while shooting the song, she states, "I remember shooting this song with Raju Sundaram ji, and his style was distinct. During that time, I had the privilege of working with Chinni ji and Saroj Ji. Raju, though sweet, was remarkably strict. We had a challenging stunt involving a chair, which was quite difficult for me to execute. Our rehearsals would commence at 7 in the evening, and we'd wrap up the shoot at 5 in the morning.”
“Following that, I would shoot for two other films simultaneously. During those days, we operated in three shifts. From 7 PM to 5 AM, I would shoot this song. Afterward, I would freshen up and shoot the item song O Baba from 7 AM to 2 PM. Then, from 2 PM to 7 PM, I was working on another film with Chichi, Akhiyon Se Goli Maare including the engagement song. All three were item songs, making it a challenging time. The energy Raju infused in me, especially with the words Yeh Toh Karna Hi Hai propelled us through this song,” she reveals.
When questioned Raveena about her daring choices during an era when heroines typically picked safe characters to play, she tells, "During that era, heroines were apprehensive about being typecast, and we often found ourselves in roles portraying sweet, affluent father-daughter dynamics, often dancing to catchy tunes with ponytails. I made a deliberate effort to take on films and songs which broke that mould. Whether it was Daman which addressed a sensitive issue or Aks, where I portrayed a completely negative character, and later the film Satta, these projects were all divergent from the norm of the late 90s."
"Interestingly, many of my songs, touchwood, became massive hits, sometimes overshadowing the depth of the roles we were tackling. Nonetheless, I believe I've not only survived but thrived in my career, reaching a luxurious peak today with projects like 'KGF 2' and others on the horizon,” she concludes.
