Of the numerous cliched quotes on karma, one stands out for Raveena Tandon: “Karma is extraordinarily environment friendly if one is extraordinarily affected person.” The actor waited 10 lengthy years for her upcoming present Karmma Calling to be greenlit by studio gods. However the lengthy halt turned out to be in her favour as Raveena admits she could not have executed the present again when it was first supplied to her.
(Additionally Learn: Karmma Calling trailer: Raveena Tandon cannot escape her karma on this glamourous revenge drama. Watch)
Karmma origins
“I stated sure to this present 10 years in the past. However someway, someplace, when the universe aligns your stars, then solely a factor that is meant to occur truly occurs,” Raveena informed Hindustan Instances in an unique interview. When director Ruchi Narain approached Raveena for her debut present on Star TV, Raveena defined she would not be capable of take trip for the lengthy shoot, given her son Ranbir Thadani was fairly younger.
Fortuitously for her, the present did not take off. Gaurav Banerjee from Star India was offered on Ruchi’s thought to adapt ABC’s crime saga Revenge. He approached Star’s then-rival ABC Community, however could not get the variation rights, forcing them to place it on the backburner. Nonetheless, years later, ABC’s mother or father firm Disney acquired Star’s mother or father firm Fox. It paved the best way for Gaurav, now head of content material at Disney+ Hotstar, to greenlight Ruchi’s Revenge adaptation, that turned out to be Karmma Calling.
Karma twins
It wasn’t a query of simply Disney and Star coming collectively, but additionally that of Raveena uniting with Ruchi after two failed makes an attempt. “I have been eager to work with Ruchi for the longest of time. So I suppose issues fell into place for us. As a result of my go-to particular person for every part is Ruchi, and Ruchi’s go-to particular person for each script is me, to a sure extent,” stated Raveena. She revealed she could not do Ruchi’s final present, Hundred, additionally for Disney+ Hotstar, which was ultimately headlined by Lara Dutta.
Raveena was of the agency opinion that she needed her digital debut to showcase her in an avatar nobody has ever seen her in earlier than. For an actor who has straddled romantic roles like Mohra (1994), comedic characters like Dulhe Raja (1998), and Nationwide Award-winning performances like Daman (2001), doing a component she’s by no means been seen in is a tall ask. She chucked the cop girl in Hundred to play one more police officer, although in a refreshingly completely different gentle, in Netflix India’s Aranyak (2021).
Not a ’90s lady
Raveena shared a well-known origin with Indrani Kothari, her character from Karmma Calling. Each are ‘90s actors, although Indrani stop Bollywoood and relocated to Alibaug along with her household. Raveena maintains Indrani is one other character she shares no similarities with, however within the very first episode, we see her break into the hook step of Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast from Mohra in an impromptu dance along with her youngsters. Raveena hesitantly attributes that ‘tribute’ to Ruchi.
“Figuring out with the character? I didn’t, as a result of she’s somebody fully completely different. And that is what gained me over. Quite a lot of actors are comfy in taking part in what they’re in actual life. And so they’re large successes at that. However for me, that doesn’t work. I see to it that each position I decide up is totally completely different from the final one. I’ve achieved that with Indrani as a result of she’s this high-society lady. Sure, the one similarity may be she was a ‘90s actor and has given up her work. I began within the ’90s, however I have not given up work,” stated Raveena.
Ruchi all the time had Raveena in thoughts for Indrani. And her selection through the years has solely gotten emboldened additional. “In fact, as a persona, Raveena may be very completely different from the character. However there have been 2 causes for me why she was a no brainer. Firstly, I did not know her once I first went to her. However her bodily look, she’s drop-dead attractive. That is an essential trait of the character as effectively. Secondly, her interior power. No matter occurs, she has a powerful core,” Ruchi stated.
She added that as she grew to know Raveena personally, she bought one more reason that justified her casting selection. “By the final 10 years, once we’ve develop into buddies, I’ve realised she’s all about household. That is an important facet of her persona. I really like that about her. That is additionally one thing which is within the present, although it performs out otherwise,” stated Ruchi. Sarcastically, it was due to her household commitments that Raveena first stated no to the present 10 years in the past.
Hotstar debut
Hundred is not the one Hotstar present Raveena stated no to. We learnt solely that she was additionally the primary selection of Ram Madhvani’s household crime drama Aarya, ultimately headlined by Sushmita Sen. “Whereas these had been actually thrilling scripts, however someplace I needed to do one thing that the viewers have by no means bought an opportunity to see me as earlier than. Therefore, I selected Aranyak to be my digital debut. It actually labored effectively for me. That 12 months was simply filled with awards. That gamble paid off,” stated Raveena.
She admitted that she’s a “grasping actor” who needed to do each undertaking that got here to her and ultimately turned profitable, like Aarya. “There are a lot of instances once I’ve met Ram and Nikhil (Madhok) from Hotstar then, that I stated, ‘We’ve got to do one thing (collectively).’ I am actually ready to work with Ram. I needed to clarify to him why I could not do Aarya. Then he understood my motive.
Aarya is not the one main undertaking she turned down. That listing goes from Phool Aur Kaante (1991) to Chaiyya Chaiyya in Dil Se (1998). “Until date, Karan (Johar) holds me accountable for not doing Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Rani Mukerji’s half). I used to be like, ‘Yar tu mujhse aur kuchh bhi kara le.’ In reality, there was a Dharma movie Varun Sood and me had been imagined to do collectively, however sadly, it did not occur. When Ruchi confirmed me his photograph, I used to be like, ‘You need to signal him. He appears to be like like my son,’” stated Raveena, revealing the story behind the casting of Varun as her son in Karmma Calling.
Nonetheless, saying no comes with its fair proportion of benefits for Raveena. She has 4 tasks lined up for this 12 months throughout genres – Karmma Calling, Patna Shukla, Ghudchadi, and Welcome Again, the place she performs an Afghani. “I feel I’ve made that acutely aware choice (of experimenting). As a result of I am not at that stage the place I wish to see my face each Friday or on some OTT platform each month. I am wonderful doing high quality work than amount. I get pleasure from that extra. After which I get extra time at dwelling. So the stability works out,” stated Raveena, signing off.
Karmma Calling will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on January 26.