‘Heroine comic tracks have shrunk’: Raveena Tandon opens up on missing the ’90s comedy era, applauds Sridevi’s comic timing and goofiness
Actress Raveena Tandon has shared her views on how female characters are portrayed in Bollywood comedies today. Looking back at her own journey in the genre, she said women no longer receive the kind of comic roles that were once common in Hindi cinema.The actress believes there has been a noticeable shift in how female characters are written. According to her, actresses today deserve more opportunities to showcase their comic talent through well-developed roles.
Raveena Tandon praises Sridevi’s comic brilliance
During an interaction with PTI, Raveena spoke about the actresses who influenced her and set high standards for comedy performances. She singled out Sridevi, calling her one of the greatest examples of a heroine excelling in comic roles while maintaining her screen presence. She said, “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.” Apart from Sridevi, Raveena also praised Juhi Chawla for her comic timing. She fondly remembered legendary actresses Geeta Bali and Madhubala, crediting them for bringing wit, charm and spontaneity to comedy films. Sharing her observations on present-day filmmaking, Raveena said comedy films have evolved into larger, more structured productions. As a result, she feels female-centric comic moments have gradually become less prominent. She explained, “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.” According to the actress, the changing storytelling style has reduced the scope for women to drive humour independently, unlike many films from previous decades.
Raveena Tandon calls for better-written female characters
The ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ actress also argued that today’s actresses are fully capable of delivering memorable comic performances if given stronger material. She believes the issue lies in the way many female characters are written rather than the performers themselves. She said, “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.” Go to Source
