Besides a long, successful career in Bollywood, Raveena Tandon has also acted in Bengali, Tamil and Telugu films. Her next venture, the pan-India film KGF - Chapter 2, has her in an intense and impactful role. She shares screen space with south star Yash and Sanjay Dutt. Sharing her thoughts on working in south cinema and the difference she finds vis-a-vis Hindi films, Raveena says, “We are all slowly merging into one strong Indian film fraternity. I also feel that the South filmmakers understand the pulse of the audience.”

Reflecting on the increasing popularity of South films, the actress feels that they have managed to strike the right balance between commercial cinema and good content. She says, “South filmmakers recognize that we love commercial cinema, and along with good content, they marry both perfectly to cater to the viewers’ sensibilities. Besides brilliant music, memorable characters and unforgettable dialogues, they have been coming up with sharp and interesting content that stays with you even after you leave the theatres. The screenplay is well-written, which keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. I feel the entire experience of watching a good film is delivered well by the south filmmakers.”

Raveena, who has been part of numerous popular films and was known as the Sheher Ki Ladki in the 90s, feels that today an artiste has a longer shelf life than the previous decades. She says, “The shelf life of an artiste has definitely increased with progressive mindsets changing the game in Indian cinema, and it’s about time too! It increases the scope of an artiste and gives the audience a vast library of content to watch. Also, it allows filmmakers to toy with more experiential ideas. So, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

In KGF: Chapter 2, the actress will be sharing screen space with Sanjay Dutt, with whom she has worked in films like Aatish, Jeena Marna Tere Sang, Kshatriya and Vijeta, among others. Raveena says, “When you share a great off-screen bond, it translates on screen. And I think that’s exactly what happened with Sanjay and me. It’s always a blast working with him. I hope the audience enjoys watching us on the screen as much as they did back in the day.”

Talking about playing the fierce and feisty Ramika Sen in KGF: Chapter 2 and working with Yash, she says, “It was great working with Yash. KGF is an iconic franchise, and I am excited that to be a part of this film. I had a great time working with director Prashanth Neel, and there’s a lot to learn from the filmmaker. More importantly, KGF, for me, was all about unlearning and shifting my perspective in more ways than one.”