Raveena Tandon has a sharp observation about comedy films today, and it comes straight from decades of experience in the genre.
Back in the 90s, Raveena was part of some of Hindi cinema’s most loved comedies. Films like ‘Dulhe Raja’, ‘Pardesi Babu’, and ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ gave her a strong footing in the genre. Now she is back with ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, which released in theatres last week.
The criticism around the film
Welcome to the Jungle has faced some backlash for not giving its female characters much substance. It was against this backdrop that Raveena opened up about a bigger issue in Bollywood comedies as a whole.
Speaking to PTI, Raveena reflected on how the comedy landscape has shifted for women over the years. She pointed to Sridevi as the actor who truly set the bar, calling her the gold standard for female comic performances in Indian cinema.
Raveena Tandon specifically brought up Sridevi’s work in Mr India, describing the Hawa Hawai sequence and the Charlie Chaplin act as sheer genius. She also mentioned Chaal Baaz, saying Sridevi proved that a gorgeous mainstream heroine could twist her face, act completely goofy, do slapstick comedy, and still look mesmerising throughout.
Raveena did not stop there. She also praised Juhi Chawla’s comic timing and spoke about the witty spark carried by earlier heroines like Geeta Bali and Madhubala.
The shift she has noticed
Despite that rich legacy, Raveena admitted something has clearly changed. She said the space has evolved, and in her words, a lot of that organic playground from the 90s has been lost.
According to her, today’s comedy films have become far more structured and plot heavy, or they lean into massive ensemble casts. Both trends, she noted, have caused heroine comic tracks to shrink significantly over time.
She acknowledged that today’s actresses are sharp, polished, and have excellent comic timing. But she pointed out that scripts often limit them to being glamorous catalyst characters instead of true comedic forces in the story.
Her ask to the industry was direct. She said writers need to intentionally create flawed, chaotic, and genuinely hilarious female characters, without constantly worrying about making them look perfect or politically correct.