“What? Really? You’re kidding, right?” is actor Raveena Tandon’s reaction, as we are the first to inform her about the Padma Shri. “I feel so honoured and grateful. I want to thank my fans. It’s because of their love that I could sustain in the industry for so many years. I was not expecting this at all. I don’t know how to react,” she exclaims.

A star for three decades, Tandon has always maintained a fine balance between commercial films such as Mohra (1994) and offbeat ones such as Daman (2001) that fetched her a National Film Award, too. The actor, who is in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) when she learns about the honour, says that all she’s ever focused on is her work and never the rewards.

“I have never worked for awards. God has been really kind that my work has been recognized. I am a pretty neutral person, who locks horns with everyone. Sometimes I think nobody likes me, but somewhere in the universe, there’s someone watching over me,” says the 50-year-old.

What makes the honour extra special for the Aranyak actor is that her name was announced as Raveena Ravi Tandon, referring to her late father, filmmaker Ravi Tandon. “It is unbelievable. Every time I went on stage to receive an award in the recent times, I’d look up and say, ‘Thank you, papa’. In February, it’s going to be a year [since his death]. It’s also his birthday the same month. Raveena Ravi Tandon felt really special,” the actor gets emotional.

Tandon has been chosen by the ministry to be a delegate at the prestigious W20, the Women’s Empowerment engagement wing at G20 India’s Presidency. Elated at the two honours, she says, “I am a delegate there because of my social work and the Padma Shri is for my art.”