Gunjan Chaudhary
Raveena Tandon has taken a nostalgic trip down memory lane, recalling the incredibly hectic shooting schedules actresses had to deal with during the 1990s. Appearing on the semi-finale episode of India’s Best Dancer Season 5, the actress reunited with judge and fellow 90s star Karisma Kapoor and opened up about the days when managing multiple films at the same time was almost a routine. Raveena revealed that she and Karisma would sometimes work across six different productions in a single day.
Raveena Tandon
‘24 Ghante Mein 36 Ghante Kaam Karte The’
Raveena described herself and Karisma as two actresses who would practically work “36 hours in a 24-hour day”. She explained that they could have as many as six different shooting commitments in one day, moving from one set to another within a matter of hours. According to Raveena, they could spend two hours on one set, an hour and a half on another, followed by three or four hours somewhere else. With such a packed schedule, there was barely any time to pause between assignments.
Raveena Tandon and Karisma
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The Mohra actress admitted that the workload could become so overwhelming that she and Karisma would sometimes lose track of which character they were playing. With several films being shot simultaneously, they would simply reach a set and do what they were instructed to do. Raveena jokingly recalled that if she was playing a “rich spoiled brat” in one film, there were times when the same kind of character seemed to follow her across multiple sets.
Raveena Tandon and Karisma
Her comments offered a glimpse into how differently Bollywood operated during that era, when actors often had several films in production at the same time. Karisma also joined in with her own memory from those days. She revealed that much of their shooting took place in Film City and they would begin work as early as 7 in the morning. The actress recalled how she and Raveena would constantly cross paths while rushing between different sets. They would leave one set, change their clothes on the way and immediately head to another location for the next shoot. There was hardly any downtime between assignments.
Raveena Tandon and Karisma
The actresses’ memories also highlight how different working conditions were in Bollywood three decades ago. Vanity vans, which are now a familiar sight on film sets, were not a standard luxury during their early careers. Earlier this year, Akshay Kumar recalled an incident from a 1990s shoot involving Raveena, saying that actors would change costumes wherever they could because vanity vans were not available. Raveena and Karisma’s latest conversation has therefore given fans a glimpse into an era when leading actresses were juggling several productions, travelling between sets and changing costumes on the move. Their stories have also reminded audiences of just how demanding the Bollywood shooting culture of the 90s could be.