Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; December 17, 2017)

Be it her sensual rain dance in Tip Tip Barsa Paani, comic timing in the cult classic, Andaz Apna Apna, or feisty avatar in Shool, Daman and the recent Maatr, Bollywood’s quintessential mast mast girl Raveena Tandon has donned multiple hats. And, even today, she continues to inspire her predecessors, including Sonam Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar, who’ve often complimented her unique style quotient. And not just actresses, popular actors like Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and ‘Bahubali’ Prabhas have also confessed their admiration for her.

While her performances in the latter half of her career won her accolades and awards, it is her distinct fashion sense, which continues to be decoded by fashion websites, that set trends in the 90s. The hoop earrings, short skirt-on-leggings combination in Patthar Ke Phool, getting inked before it caught on with the celeb circuit and sporting a bob cut for the song, Sheher Ki Ladki — unlike most actresses of her time, Raveena ensured that she wasn’t typecast.

BT asked her about her constant evolution and how her attire in Patthar Ke Phool had become a rage on Mumbai’s Fashion Street back in those days. She said, “The clothes that I wore in that film were out of my personal wardrobe and so, they weren’t filmi. The skirt-on-leggings was a coincidence. I had to shoot for a skating sequence and didn’t want to do it wearing a short skirt. Akshay Kumar and I even sported braids and a hippie look for a song that we shot in Goa (Dil Mein Hai Tu). It was completely bohemian. I always liked to experiment with my look and walk on the wild side, but not to the point of being bizarre.”

The actress concluded, “My filmography has been like my fashion choices — experimental and versatile. Daman and Dulhe Raja released at the same time and so did Aks and Ghulam-e-Mustafa. I am proud of the choices I have made.”