Raveena Tandon has spent over three decades in the Hindi film industry and the actor says that survival in showbiz is not easy. “Despite having such a great father (late filmmaker Ravi Tandon), people tried to bury me and reject me, but I fought back every time. It was not easy. This really bothers me about this industry that talented artistes never get a chance to prove themselves easily,” says Tandon, who celebrated her 48th birthday recently.

She adds, “I don’t appreciate the dirty politics that’s been going on in the industry for ages. In my 30-year-long career, I have seen so many people struggling to keep afloat and fight back. Some survive, some don’t and that’s so shattering to see.”

Tandon, who has been a part of several box-office hits, including Mohra (1994) and Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996), goes on to highlight the gender discrimination that’s been prevalent in showbiz and how things are changing for the better.

She shares, “Earlier, female actors were only given side roles. There were no interesting, eye-catching parts for women. But now, the industry has changed. Females get strong roles and they also get to pull off an entire movie single-handedly. The mindset of people has also evolved. They root for strong female characters. My roles as Kasturi Dogra (Aranyak) or Ramika Sen (KGF - Chapter 2), were loved.”

Tandon wants to explore different kinds of roles now. She says, “I don’t want to be typecast after Aranyak. At this stage of my career, I want to explore more genres and want to be remembered for my versatility.”