Raveena Tandon’s philanthropic and animal lover side, she feels, are only because of her mother, Veena Tandon, who turns 82 on May 13.
In her first ever interview, she confesses she is nervous. “How did my life pan out- that’s a long story, kaise bataun life kaisi thi? I will start off by telling I was studying most of the time. I went to The Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, then to SNDT for college. I shifted to my sister’s house in my teen years who brought me up, since my mother was no more. I was in Dehradun, bust most of the time in Mumbai with my father.”
Veena got married after college, and took up the ‘toughest job’ according to her: being a house manager. “I was very happy being in the background, and being a force for my husband (producer Ravi Tandon) He was busy throughout the day, so I had to take care of both our kids- taking them to school, getting them back, raising them well. My husband used to have two-three shifts in a single day. I did the best I could,” she says.
She also never attended a single film party that would happen at their house. “I would always be away, along with our kids. I kept them away from all this,” quips Veena. This comes as a surprise because eventually her daughter went on to act in films.
She says she was supportive of Raveena’s decision. “She was not interested in films, but when she got Pathhar Ke Phool with Salman Khan, her friends said ‘arre Salman ke saath film hai karo karo’,” she laughs. Raveena adds, “I wanted to be a pilot or give exam for IPS. But when people started telling me I should model or act, it got me thinking. If my dad was my emotion, my mom is my strength. I as a kid would always tag along with her as she was heavily into social work, collecting funds. When I decided to take in (adopt) my two young girls at 21, she was the one who took care when I was away shooting. I have absorbed the strength from her.”
Veena admits that her daughter and husband both being in an unpredictable field like showbiz did take a toll on her too. But she had to remain strong for them, “I would traverse the ups and downs with them, but always tried to cheer them up,” she smiles.
