Heartfelt tribute to director Ravi Tandon — why Ravi will always be a part of Raveena (Tandon)

By Chaitanya Padukone

Actress Raveena Tandon’s eminent film-maker father Ravi Tandon, passed away on Friday (Feb 11) at the age of 86. Owing to age-related pulmonary ailments. The media-savvy Raveena took to Instagram to share the news along with a heartfelt post and a series of throwback pictures with her father. In the note, she wrote, “You will always walk with me, I will always be you, I’m never letting go. Love you Papa.” Interestingly, the name ‘Raveena’ is a beautiful fusion of both her parents’ names Ravi and Veena. This is what Ravi Tandon personally shared with me (as a film-journalist-columnist) during the mid-‘80s when I first him.

Gradually, I had become friendly with unassuming Ravi-jee who was a soft-spoken, gentle and totally non-filmy by nature. Then I happened to meet his daughter Raveena at her cousin Reshma’s birthday party. Then I also met up with Raveena’s maternal uncle (mama) Mohan Makhijani (Mac Mohan–aaree O Samba) in some other filmy party. At Reshma’s private party Raveena told me that she was working with eminent ad-film-maker Prahlad Kakkar in their production team. Since she was very photogenic I asked Raveena why she was unwilling to make a film-debut as a heroine, maybe with her director-dad Ravi helming the project. In fact I told her multiple times that she should be facing the camera and not remain behind it. Eventually Raveena bagged her first debut movie ‘Patthar Ke Phool’ (1991) opposite Salman Khan and I was among the first ten persons she called up to share the great news.

Raveena Tandon with Salman Khan

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Years later, when I was felicitated by superstar Amitabh Bachchan, at a Bandra auditorium I was pleasantly startled when Raveena attended the event as a ‘guest’ and sat discreetly in the audience. When called on the stage by compere Harish Bhimani, the unassuming Raveena came up and sat bang next to me, as she had come mainly to congratulate me.  A few days later when I met her dad Ravi Tandon, he groused to me, “You invited Raveena but forgot to call me, this is absolute na-insaafi,” Ravi-jee had quipped.

At an acting-singing talent spotting contest held at a Prabhadevi auditorium, Ravi Tandon and I were among the three judges. Since we had a good bonding, Tandon-jee and I sat next to each other. During the interval-break, a young heroine-aspirant girl came and casually asked Ravi-Jee as to why he never launched his daughter Raveena. Looking at me, he smiled and replied to that girl, “Talented Raveena is capable of making it big on her own in whatever she chooses to do. She has the caliber and guts to be a self-made career-woman.

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As is known Ravi-jee launched his actor-son Raj Tandon in this movie ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu’ (1986). This film was produced and directed by Ravi Tandon which unfortunately did not click at the box-office. The title was inspired from the hit song of Ravi-jee’s directed musical hit movie ‘Khel Khel Mein’. In fact a couple of  my print-media friends and I  had once joked with Ravi-jee that he should also direct a film titled ‘Yeh Toh Hona Hi Thaa’, the phrase that ends the same song mukhdaa (refrain).

Raveena Tandon sitting on stage with award-winner journalist Chaitanya Padukone

The cool yet competent Ravi Tandon had also done an acting cameo in ‘Love In Simla’ (1960) and among his landmark movies which he directed include  ‘Khel Khel Mein’, ‘Majboor’, ‘Anhonee’, ‘Nazrana’, and of course ‘Khud-daar’.

We at CineBlitz convey our heart-felt condolences to Raveena Tandon-Thadani’s family. May the soul of the departed rest in eternal peace.

(The writer Chaitanya Padukone is an eminent senior film-journalist-columnist-author)