actress Raveena Tandon has shared her views on how female characters are portrayed in Bollywood comedies today. Looking back on her own journey in the genre, she said that women are no longer given the kind of comedic roles that were once common in Hindi cinema.The actress believes that there has been a noticeable change in the way female characters are written. According to her, today’s actresses deserve more opportunities to showcase their comedic talent through well-developed roles.
Raveena Tandon praises Sridevi the comic brilliance of this one
During an interaction with PTI, Raveena spoke about the actresses who influenced her and set high standards for comedy performances. He singled out Sridevi, calling her one of the best examples of a heroine who excelled in comic roles while maintaining her screen presence. He said: “What she did in Mr India, the whole Hawa Hawai sequence, the Charlie Chaplin act and Chaal Baaz was total genius. She showed that a gorgeous, conventional heroine could contort her face, be completely goofy, slap and still look absolutely stunning.”“Apart from Sridevi, Raveena also praised Juhi Chawla for his comic timing. He fondly remembered the legendary actresses Geeta Bali and Madhubala, crediting them for bringing wit, charm and spontaneity to comedy films.Sharing her observations on today’s cinema, Raveena said that comedy films have evolved into bigger and more structured productions. As a result, she feels that female-centric comedic moments have become less prominent. She explained: “The space has changed and, frankly, we’ve lost some of that organic playground that we had in the ’90s. Comedy films these days are very structured and very plot-driven, or they’re huge sets. In the process, the heroine’s comic tracks have been reduced.” According to the actress, the changing storytelling style has reduced the scope for women to drive the humor independently, unlike many films of previous decades.
Raveena Tandon calls for better written female characters
The “Welcome to the Jungle” actress also argued that actresses today are fully capable of delivering memorable comedic performances if given stronger material. She believes the problem lies with the way many female characters are written rather than the performers themselves. She said: “Girls today are incredibly sharp, polished and have great timing, but the scripts often limit them to being glamorous catalyst characters rather than full-blown comic dynamos. We need writers who intentionally create flawed, chaotic, and downright funny female protagonists without worrying about making them seem perfect or politically correct all the time.”