Raveena Tandon, who starred in hit 1990s comedies like Dulhe Raja, Pardesi Babu, and Andaz Apna Apna, has returned to the genre with Welcome to the Jungle. But her comeback has come with a honest take on how female roles have changed in Bollywood funny movies.
The film, which released in theatres on June 26, has done well at the box office. But it has also faced criticism for not giving its female actors enough screen time. Now Raveena has spoken about a bigger problem that goes beyond just one film.
Raveena Tandon Calls Out Shrinking Comic Tracks For Heroines
In a chat with PTI, Raveena Tandon said that women in Bollywood comedies are often reduced to what she called “glamorous catalyst” characters. She explained that instead of being central to the humour, female actors are used to add glamour or move the story forward while male leads drive the comedy.
“The space has changed, and frankly, we’ve lost some of that organic playground we had in the 90s. Today, comedy films have become highly structured and heavily plot-driven, or they are huge ensembles. In the process, the heroine comic tracks have shrunk.”
The actor pointed out that today’s actresses have great comic timing but don’t get the right material to work with.
“Today’s girls are incredibly sharp, polished, and have fantastic timing, but the scripts often confine them to being glamorous catalyst characters rather than full-fledged comedic dynamos. We need writers to intentionally create flawed, chaotic, and downright hilarious female protagonists without worrying about making them look perfect or politically correct all the time.”
Sridevi Set The Gold Standard For Female Comedy
Raveena Tandon praised late actor Sridevi as the ultimate “gold standard” for female comic performances in Indian cinema. She remembered Sridevi’s work in films like Mr India, Chaal Baaz, and her famous Hawa Hawai sequence.
“What she did in Mr India, the whole Hawa Hawai sequence, Charlie Chaplin act and Chaal Baaz was sheer genius. She proved that a mainstream, gorgeous heroine could twist her face, be utterly goofy, do slapstick, and still look absolutely mesmerising.”
Raveena also praised Juhi Chawla’s comic timing and the “witty spark” of older actresses like Geeta Bali and Madhubala.
Welcome To The Jungle Crosses ₹100 Crore At Box Office
Welcome to the Jungle is the third film in the Welcome franchise. The series started with Welcome in 2007 starring Akshay Kumar. The sequel Welcome Back came in 2015 with John Abraham. Both films featured Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar and were directed by Anees Bazmee.
The new movie, directed by Ahmed Khan, has already earned over ₹100 crore worldwide since its release. The film features a huge ensemble cast of 34 actors including Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, and Paresh Rawal.
Comedy Today Is A Tightrope Walk, Says Raveena
Raveena Tandon also spoke about how comedy filmmaking has changed. She said making people laugh today without offending anyone is difficult.
“Making people laugh without someone getting offended is probably the ultimate tightrope walk today… In the 90s, there was an uninhibited, innocent, and totally unapologetic madness to our films.”
She added that filmmakers now think too much about how jokes will look on social media.
“We weren’t overthinking how a joke would look on a 15-second internet clip or if a line would trigger a social media debate… That raw, purely character-driven, loud-and-proud humour of the 90s is rare now because filmmakers are constantly second-guessing themselves. We’ve become a bit too cautious, and comedy desperately needs freedom to breathe.”
Raveena Reunites With Akshay Kumar After 22 Years
Welcome to the Jungle marks Raveena Tandon’s reunion with her Mohra co-star Akshay Kumar after 22 years. She plays the role of Zoya in the film.
The actor said comedy has been the backbone of her career.
“Comedy has honestly been the backbone of my commercial identity. While intense, dramatic roles like ‘Daman’ or ‘Satta’ gave me critical validation and the National Award, it was comedy that built my deep connection with the masses.”
She also shared that returning to comedy with Welcome to the Jungle felt like coming home.
“Returning to it now with ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ feels like coming home to a room full of old friends.”
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What Raveena Wants For Female Characters In Comedy
Raveena Tandon made it clear that she wants writers to create better roles for women in comedy films. She said actresses today are talented but need scripts that allow them to be funny, messy, and imperfect.
The actor believes female characters should be “flawed, chaotic, and downright hilarious” without the pressure of looking perfect or politically correct all the time.
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