Raveena Tandon says that her philanthropic and animal-lover side is a gift to her from her mother, Veena Tandon, who turns 82 on May 13. In her first-ever interview, the actor’s mum tells us all about her journey, raising her two kids and being married to producer Ravi Tandon.

“When I was young, I was studying most of the time. I went to The Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, and then to SNDT College. I shifted to my sister’s house in my teen years who brought me up, since my mother was no more. So, I also lived in Dehradun (Uttarakhand). But most of the time, I was in Mumbai with my father.”

Veena got married after finishing college, and took up the “toughest job” of being a house manager. She says, “I was very happy being in the background and being a force for my husband. He was busy throughout the day, so I had to take care of both our kids (her elder son, producer Rajeev Tandon, and daughter Raveena) — taking them to school, getting them back, raising them well. My husband used to have two-three shifts in a day. I did the best I could.”

She tells us that she never attended any film party that would happen at their home. “I would always be away, along with our kids. I kept them away from all this,” quips Veena. This comes as a surprise because both her kids became part of showbiz.

Raveena adds, “I wanted to be a pilot or appear for the Indian Police Services. But when people started telling me I should try modelling or acting, it got me thinking. If my dad was my emotion, my mum is my strength. As a kid, I would always tag along with her as she was heavily into social work and collecting funds. When I decided to take in my two young girls (Raveena adopted two little girls – Pooja and Chaya) at 21, my mum took care of them when I was away shooting. I have absorbed the strength from her.”

She was not interested in films, but when she got Patthar Ke Phool (1991) with (actor) Salman Khan, her friends said, ‘Arey, Salman ke saath film hai, karo-karo.’