 Alright, thank you so much. So our next session is with a very well-known, established, someone who has easily been on both sides of the fence, the ravishing, the most prominent name in the film industry today in the OTT space as well. Ms. Raveena Tandon, thank you so much for joining us on E4Mplay on this session. Thank you Rohail, it's a pleasure to be here with all of you. Pleasure. So the discussion would be around how you have easily transitioned from traditional cinema to OTT. Give me a sense of was it easy for you to make the shift and then you tasted success as well. How do you see it now? Well, you know, honestly, I don't think it is very, very difficult for an actor to or an artist to make the shift from big screen to the small screen or from the small screen onto a streaming platform because I think every, I can't speak generically for everybody so I will only speak for myself. I think my love affair is with the camera. So when the camera and the character are given to me in my hand and the minute action is said, it's me out there giving my best into that lens which is ultimately the medium which will be streamed, it could be streamed anywhere. It could be on the big screen, it could be streaming on a platform, it could be on TV. For me, it is that connect with the audience that matters. As an artist, am I giving my best to the character that has been given to me to play and am I reaching out to my audience and the way for me to reach out to my audience is through that camera and then ultimately through the medium from what it is going to be streamed ultimately or finally at. And that I think is very important for me as an actor to do is to be in love with my work and try to connect with my audience. Right, absolutely. Love with the camera is what the real acting is all about and really performance is all about. From the 90s to 2020s, when you look back, how would you define the shift that we have seen in cinema overall? Honestly, from the 90s to now we are in 2022. There definitely has been a strong evolution and I think it has only happened for the best. To a certain extent, there have always been a certain kind of competition to the big screen, to the cinema, whether it came in the form of DVDs or VCDs or different channels opening up on television or then now with the internet streaming that is happening and different platforms that are mushrooming every single day. But I think the love for the big screen and the magic of cinema will always stay on. But the plus point, the advantage that has been is that somehow OTT platforms including television to a certain extent has opened or broadened our horizons to different kind of cultures, different shows coming from different countries and their traditions and their stories and their way of storytelling. So to be honest, in the 90s, we only had the exposure if we went to film festivals to see an Iranian film or if we had to see a Russian film or a film from China. That is when we would get the opportunity to see these kinds of different films and different kinds of storytelling. But now everything at the tip of our fingers for the audience also, it's been an introduction and exposure and awareness of different kind of filmmaking that is there globally. So it has, I think to a certain extent, opened out different avenues for a lot of directors, a lot of actors who probably wanted to make experimental cinema but somehow could never muster up the not courage exactly, but muster up the opportunities or going beyond the pressures of the main box office to be able to showcase their talent and their work, which now everyone has these great opportunities because every kind of storytelling today has a certain audience. It might be a niche audience, but it is out there and you're not pressurized by okay, I only have three hours to put or two and a half hours to make this into a movie and show it out. Today you have the platforms that are there streaming this into people's homes and you can give them a different whatever the directors visualized or imagined or what he wanted to give to the audience. So I feel in that perspective, our cinema has actually opened up, we've broadened our horizons, we've got amazing amount of talent, new talent, talent like me who probably was there but then we were not getting the kind of opportunity that we wanted to showcase the kind of work that we could do. And Aranya today, thank God, God has been really kind, has done wonderfully well, but I don't know if Aranya could have been made into a movie. You see, so that is the kind of opportunities that have come everyone's way, which are great for our cinema. Right, I totally agree with you. I think the opportunities to experiment are far more greater than we had earlier with these new platforms coming in, which also push this point forward. I want to ask you about, we also always say that OTT will OTT great content has come, but a lot of people say that great content was always there is just that you've got an opportunity to showcase it differently. So what do you have to tell people who say that today cinema is more content driven? I think I kind of agree with that and I kind of disagree with that because we've always had a lot of movies which have had great content, we've had great content, even then we have it now. But I think like I said, every decade, I think you kind of evolve into a different kind of filmmaking, you go into a different zone according to what the audiences want as well. I can give you a prime example. If you see the film Andaz Apna Apna, at the time it was released, unfortunately it didn't make the kind of noise that it should have. But today it's a cult film with all the youngsters. So maybe that was a film before time. It's not that we didn't have the content, but it also at the given moment, did the audience accept that kind of comedy? No, they didn't. At that time of period, if I remember very clearly, a lot of films are being made with double meaning dialogues and a little bit of buffoonery which was being translated as comedy and those films are working. But when a straight faced, a simple clean family film with a comedy like Andaz Apna Apna came, people were like, oh, what is this? And then later on, it becomes a cult film. So there are times where you want to give that kind of content, but sometimes you are kind of, you know, your hands are tied. But I think even then and now we've had great movies and we have some great movies coming up as well even now. There's great cinema and there's great happening. So my question is, in the wake of great content, have face values and acting styles become redundant in any way? Rohil, if you ask me, I think both to a certain extent, just a certain extent, work hand in hand. It might and it might not also. So it's not necessary that a big name will definitely sell the film or will definitely sell the show, the web show. It also depends on the content. And if you ask me, there are so many times when big names have been taken into a show and unfortunately the show might have not done well, or it hasn't lived up to expectations, but there can be many factors to that. But again, for filmmakers, if they are making a show where they know that this established actor will bring credit onto the table and will definitely be able to get into the skin of the character and give them what they want, then I think that's just an added bonus. So it's nothing that you can say definitely. Like for example, I mean, if again, you take my show itself, Aranyaak, it's not that there are no other talented actors to have played Kasturi Dogra. But maybe there was something about my personality that you'll have to ask Rohan and Sid why, but somehow that they preferred to go with me on that. And then of course, there was Param and then there was Ashutoshji. So these are these, this was our bunch of, you know, established actors. Param has proved himself in so many films and shows that he's done. And you know that you've taken him half your battle is won. For a director also, it's half your battle is won because you know what he will deliver. Likewise with Ashutosh Ranaji, there is no two ways. If I was the director, there was no two ways I would have thought that he would not do justice to his role because he's proven himself. You know, so there is a plus and minus in everything. My next question, Raveena is about traditional cinema versus the OTT. A lot of critics say, they still say that, you know, traditional maybe, you know, written off, while others say that they have to coexist because there's a lot of stories to be told, a lot of talent to be featured. What is your take between this OTT versus traditional? First and foremost, I don't think in my opinion, I could be completely wrong. Again, I cannot generalize this answer. In my opinion, I think the lines have fused somehow. I think even our traditional cinema as to speak what you call, I think has evolved a lot. We've got great past baking, breaking stories that are coming out every second day. A lot of experimental cinema also happening and a lot of inclusive cinema that's happening. So it's not that, oh, it's only traditional and conservative and we are not going into, you know, not walking into the future. As far as OTT platforms are concerned, like I said, there is no debate whether OTT platform or cinema. I think each holds its own. Yes, you can experiment a lot more with OTT. But then I think the risk for both is equal, whether you make a film that is experimental and whether that works or not, there'll be losses to the producer, the distributors, the actors, to everybody. Likewise, even on an OTT platform, I think the risk taken is also with everyone investing so much besides their hard work and besides the emotions that are invested. Everyone has invested a certain part of themselves. So even that for not working also can be a chance. But yes, OTT, you just still have that little bit of, you know, especially for the filmmakers, the risk is not there of that box office pressure or of, you know, yes, you have a certain viewership for the OTT platform, but you always do also find your niche audience. So for me, I think when you see the shows that are being streamed in India, a lot of them also are, you know, they're a lot that are experimental, but also kind of sticking to, you know, basically, I think country-wise, which culture and what kind of stories that we like seeing. And likewise, I think our film producers and directors are doing the same. And if you really go to see a lot of our production houses from the film industry are making OTT shows as well. So for me, the lines have fused. There's no partitions, so to speak, really. Of course, I think a lot of action is happening in that space and things will keep on changing, which brings me to my last question followed by some quick rapid fire question that I have. What do you miss about the 90s? Honestly, nothing. The song and the dance, a bit of the song and the dance. I think music was great in the 90s. The 90s music was just even now so relatable. Everyone just wants to hear the 90s songs, remakes, and back to every part you walk into the 90s music going on. And I mean, they had great melodies. Even at that time, we had some great albums. I miss, yes, probably the music part of it. I'm glad the other sensibilities have moved on from the 90s. But I do miss the music of the 90s. I definitely miss the 90s for sure. After the kind of shelf life and the way the songs connected that time, it was another different story altogether. All right, now we move on to our next conversation, which is rapid fire questions. All set, Raveena, for this. Here it up. Okay. Munna Bhai or Kali Bhai of Mirzapur. The lovable Munna Bhai. Aranya to me is the strength of a woman, Kasturi Dogra. Actors looking for work across OTT need to. Lovely. Who would you like to do an OTT film with? Your favorite OTT show is? Aranya to. Tip tip Barsha or Aakhiya se goli maare. Garmi ho mein tip tip Barsha Paani ki prathna hai. Ustadhi ki to Aakhiya se bhi goli maar sakta hai. Do hi jaane, Rajnikamji aur me jo Aakhiya se goli maar sakta hai. Isra, aajkar ghuske bhi maar sakta hai. Final, two more questions. The strength of a woman lies in her inner faith. Do le raja aur aakhiya se goli maare. Do le raja aur aakhiya se goli maare to do le raja, aakhiya se goli maare to do le raja mein tha to do le raja ki bhi kya aakhiya se goli maare nahi ho sakta hai. Aakhiya se goli maare to do hi jaane is poore desh mein aur industry mein. Ek Rajnikam sir aur ek me. Absolutely and that's a wrap. We can't wait to see you come attend the watch show and collect your big win for the night. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Thank you for having me here.