From age to age, writes Raveena Tandon Thadani

Flashback. I’d just had Rashavishakha my first born. Lying in the hospital bed like a beached whale, I was accepting good wishes that poured in for my li’l angel from colleagues and friends. One of my male co-stars who called said, “Chalo, you have given the industry another heroine”. I told him, “I believe in kids following their dreams and I would not impose any career on my children. They can be whatever they want to be.” Then congratulating him on his next release, I asked him how long he planned to keep going? His answer was, “Till I work opposite your daughter and then retire….” Yeeesh!! The Utpal Dutt in me jumped out! That creeped me out completely.

Andaz Apna Apna
This happened 10 years ago and now when I look around I find it to be true. The male actors are working with girls who would be their daughters’ age (if they’d got married in time). I am often asked if I would act in the remake of Andaz Apna Apna. Director Raj Kumar Santoshi has clearly stated that he will never make it without Raveena or Karisma. In good humour, I reply: Yes, certainly, the first frame will show Raveena-Karisma’s garlanded picture on the wall and Aamir-Salman paying homage to their dead wives and sobbing on each other’s shoulders… and the rest of the movie will show them chasing Alia Bhatt and Sonam Kapoor!

Ageless 50-plus heroes
Jokes apart, my question to the guys who keep writing about actresses going under the knife is: Do our heroes drink from an undiscovered, secret fountain of youth? While I have come across many articles about the actresses undergoing botox, face lifts, fillers etc. One regional channel went to the extent of marking the areas on actresses’ pictures suggesting where they needed surgery or enhancement. But not once have I read a word on our heroes undergoing cosmetic surgery. No Sirrreeee, not once. No comparative pictures of ‘before’ and ‘after’ — not a whisper of who or how good his doctor is. This is definitely a gender bias. Meanwhile, our ageless 50-plus heroes continue to romance girls, even lesser than half their age.

Hating my co-star
Admittedly, a lot of how you look after your 40s, does, to a certain extent, depend on how good your witch doctor is. Modern science is a boon I tell you. In the ’90s, you looked like what you ate. We had a full generation of starved actresses and models, barring a few lucky ones. One actress, skinny as hell, would order 12 gulab jamuns for breakfast eat them all. While I had this half crazed, starved, maniacal look, whenever I shot with her. My hunger pangs and resentment towards her metabolism got the better of me and I perpetually lived in a no-tolerance zone as far as her tantrums went. To maintain a small waist I lived on fruits, boiled veggies, low-cal snacks, no-oil popcorn. Before shooting an important song or cover shoot, I would starve for a month in advance. We didn’t have the luxury of photoshopping and digital enhancements back then. These days bellies are magically turned into six pack abs for the big screens and cases of bad acne magically turn into glowing porcelain skin.

Trying teens
Somewhere, we are all responsible for creating this impossible image of perfect body and perfect face for the new generation. Teenagers are now fighting diseases like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Kids are starving themselves trying to look like some artificially created ultra slim model or actress, leading to depression, severe mood swings. Luckily, I stopped myself in time before I turned into a medical case study on what not to do while trying to lose weight. I ate healthy. I snacked on salads and fruits instead of protein shakes. So, luckily, I have survived the onslaught of erratic work hours and time. I believe you are what you eat. Your body, hair and skin reflect the healthy lifestyle that you follow. Crash diets, quick fixes, instant weight loss solutions do not last and ultimately bring about deficiencies, the weight returns, and the honeymoon ends bitterly. The whole point of being healthy is to live a full and enjoyable life. So find something simple and safe that works. And stick to it. Killing yourself is no way to live. And for us in Bollywood, if all else fails Digital Baba Zindabad!