As told to Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 21, 2020)

I was always inclined towards production and direction, no one ever imagined I’d become an actress. I was in the eighth standard when I started assisting dad (filmmaker Ravi Tandon) during vacations. When I was in the tenth standard, I got a call from ace photographer Shantanu Sheorey’s assistant Amrita Sehgal. They were looking for new models and wanted to do a photoshoot with me. I told her my dad will get back to them and forgot all about it. But she was persistent and promised me a portfolio by Shantanu, which is when I spoke to dad who left the choice to me. And I finally said “yes” to Amrita.

Those pictures went around, and I got my first ad for a shampoo brand. I interned with ad guru Prahlad Kakkar during my summer break and after graduating, joined him full time. I became the in-house model who would fill up for absentees. I was still just a lowly assistant, but everyone would tell me I was made for the screen. I didn’t take them seriously.

Then, one day, while hanging out with friends at a pizzeria, I was spotted by the late director Anant Balani and Vivek Vaswani. They recognised me as Ravi Tandon’s daughter and got in touch with producer G P Sippy saab. I’d done a couple of ads with Salman’s (Khan) friend, Bunty Walia, who was also a model then. A few days later, when I was shooting for an ad in Bandra, Bunty called, asking me to step out of the studio. Outside, he wondered if I’d do a film with Salman, who was also there with him. I was so shocked, I only mumbled that I’d have to ask dad. Vivek and Sippy saab called him and before I knew it, I was signed for Patthar Ke Phool.

I’d been offered a couple of films before that, including Fateh, Heer Ranjha, Jungle and a project by Anwar Ali. I refused all of them and only gave my nod to Patthar Ke Phool because my colleagues were huge Salman fans and told me they would swing by my set to watch him from far. After that, I could quit acting if I wanted to.

Two days after I gave my nod, we had a photoshoot with Sheena, Ramesh Sippy’s daughter. I didn’t even have a stylist and had to wear Sheena’s clothes. I didn’t even get a makeup man and had never acted in my life. They made it easy for me. For the first shot, I had to excitedly walk into the living room with a “Hi Daddy”. It still took five takes to be okayed, but Manohar Singh ji, who was playing my dad, was very sweet and encouraging.

After a couple of scenes with him, they moved on to some songs with Salman. I had no training in dance and only after we started shooting, I joined Kathak maestro Gopi Krishna ji to learn adas and expressions for two months. While I was shooting those songs, I was simultaneously giving my first-year junior college exams. Choreographers Chinni Prakash ji and Rekha still remind me how I’d bring my textbooks to the set and study in a corner.

Salman and I first shot for the skating song, “Tumse Jo Dekhte Hi”, and had our first childish squabble while doing a photo shoot for “Kabhi Tu Chaliya Lagta Hai” over bubble gum.

Ready to play judge, Raveena Tandon on reuniting with her first co-star Salman Khan on Nach Baliye 9
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; July 23, 2019)

Considering her dance numbers used to be a rage upon release, it is only fitting that Raveena Tandon brings in her expertise as a judge on Nach Baliye 9. What makes the dance reality show special to the actor is that it sees her teaming up with her longtime friend and first Bollywood co-star, Salman Khan. As the producer of the series, the superstar made an appearance in the inaugural episodes that aired over the weekend.

"He told everyone that he knows me since the last 120 years," laughs Tandon, pointing out that Khan's deadpan humour hasn't changed since their Patthar Ke Phool (1991) days. "There's a comfort factor with him. We spoke non-stop on the set, but when the episode was telecast, I realised that they had edited out a major chunk due to time constraints. We then told each other, 'Why did we talk so much?'"

While the two had subsequently teamed up for the cult comedy Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Tandon says her debut film dominated their chat on the set. "We kept remembering [anecdotes from] the film's shoot. We go back 29 years, so one can well imagine our conversation."

Having judged several shows, including Sabse Bada Kalakar, the actor is at home screening participants and rating their acts. "I don't believe in being too strict. My job is not to berate the contestants but to encourage them. They are all doing their best. No one intentionally wants to give a bad performance."

As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 8, 2018)

My father had instilled in my brother and I a sense of self-reliance. Even during vacations, we were expected to earn our pocket money doing odd jobs, like cleaning the car or arranging the wardrobe for which we would get paid Rs 10 to Rs 20. So I started working when I was really young and looked forward to growing up and earning some big money.

When I was in the eighth standard, I assisted my dad (Ravi Tandon) on a movie he was making during the school holidays. I was on a threemonth break after my 10th standard board exams before enrolling for college and joined Prahlad Kakkar at his ad agency. Around the same time I got a call from ace photographer Shantanu Sheorey’s office saying he was on the hunt for new models and wanted to click me. I didn’t take that offer seriously because I was plump then, wore glasses and my hair in a long plait, and didn’t think I had the look of a model. So I started working on prep and post-production with Prahlad.

I would take bus No. 231 from Juhu to Santacruz and then a train to Mahalakshmi from where I would walk to Prahlad’s office at Everest building. Even after college started, I continued working with him, attending lectures from 7am to 10.30 am after which I would leave for work and return home only around 11pm because ad shoots can be erratic. If it got extremely late, we called Mohammed bhai, who had a private taxi to drop the girls home. Sometimes I would take a lift with my friend Farah Khan Ali, Sanjay Khan’s daughter, who was also interning with me and had her own car.

At the office I would even sweep floors. There was this huge sign underlining the fact that we were not Prahlad’s workers but his slaves. In today’s day and age it’s a politically incorrect declaration but back then we took it as a joke.

Once, Aftab Shivdasani, who was about 10 then was shooting a chocolate ad at the office. He had to keep eating chocolate and after the 24th or 25th take he got sick. I had just swept the floor and was standing with a clapper board waiting to announce the next shot and give the clap.

Suddenly I saw Aftab gag not once but twice, and realising that if he threw up I would have to wipe the floor clean, I chucked the clapper board and started desperately looking for a bucket but couldn’t find one. Prahlad’s lips were quivering in slow motion, “He is going to puke.” I didn’t know what to do and helplessly spread out my hands. Aftab puked on them and I ran to wash them.

I initially worked for Prahlad for free as it was an internship, then he started paying me a salary of Rs 1,000 a month. He used to keep telling me, ‘You are not meant to be behind the camera, you are wasting your time.' When I got Patthar Ke Phool, Prahlad said ‘Just go ahead and say yes.’ I didn’t even take any acting or dance classes, I just signed the film and next day I was on set shooting.

I’m yet to collect my salary from Prahlad because once I got busy with movies, I forgot all about it. But I do remember I once did an ad for noodles for which I got Rs 500, my first paycheque, and bought a tape recorder for my mother. She used to love listening to the radio and would turn it on when she woke us up for school so a tape recorder was the best gift for her.

When I was 16, I was offered a jeans ad. At Film City I met this young, handsome guy who was modelling with me. He looked at me and exclaimed, “You should be doing movies!” He repeated this to my mom and I snapped, “I don’t want to do movies.” He later admitted that even he was not interested in modelling and wanted to be a designer. That man was Manish Malhotra.

A year later, I was shooting for a magazine cover after signing my debut film Patthar Ke Phool with Salman Khan and Manish was designing my clothes.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 21, 2017)

Five years after the second instalment in the Dabangg franchise released, Dabangg 3 has been locked to roll by 2018-end. And Mirror has learnt that it will be Sabbir Khan who will take the cop caper forward.

The first film, which opened in 2010, was directed by Abhinav Kashyap and made the cop, Chulbul Pandey, a household name. It bagged the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and six Filmfare Awards. Two years later, producer Arbaaz Khan took over as director. However, Arbaaz announced in 2016 that he will only be producing Part 3. The Khan brothers have since been scouting for writers and directors to take Dabangg forward.

Sabbir began his journey as an assistant to director David Dhawan, working on two Salman Khan starrers, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi in 2004 and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya a year later. He made his directorial debut with Kambakkht Ishq in 2009, returning with Heropanti five years later. The film launched Tiger Shroff and the duo followed it up with Baaghi and completed a hat-trick with Munna Michael.

Sabbir is developing three-four scripts at the moment and mentoring a bunch of writer. “Yes, I’ve started working on a plan for Dabangg 3 but I can’t say anything until the paperwork is finalised. I am in talks and am really happy that I was one of directors selected to work on the final script,” he says, adding that the prep will be a year-and-a-half-long.

Next week, he takes off to Europe for a well-deserved vacation. He will be touring London, Paris and Vienna, among other cities. “I plan to catch up on my reading. Travelling makes me write better. I’m hoping to return with an entertaining plot for Chulbul Pandey,” he shares.

He also reveals that when he was a teenager, his lyricist-father, Noor Dewasi, was going through a low financially and Salman’s scriptwriter father, Salim Khan, bailed them out. “Bhai then encouraged me to pursue a career in films against my father’s wishes. My dad slapped me when I suggested it. Those days 18-20 assistants were queuing up to work with David Dhawan, and bhai got me a break as an AD. He gave wings to my dreams. He was filming for Patthar Ke Phool then and would skate around Bandra after pack-up. Whenever he spotted me, he’d stop and we would eat chocolates together,” Sabbir reminisces with a smile, adding that even today, he often goes for lunches and dinners with the Khans. “There’s no way I will miss out on an opportunity to direct bhai.”