At Netflix’s Actors’ Roundtable 2021, Raveena Tandon shared her experience of fighting for her role in Shool. She recalled that she had to put up a strong fight for the role, explaining that the film’s director, E. Nivas, was completely convinced about her playing the role of Manjiri, a lower-middle-class Bihari housewife. However, the producer, Ram Gopal Varma, had reservations. Raveena mentioned that Varma could only imagine her in glamorous roles, like in Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare, and initially couldn’t see her as Manjiri. Despite this, Raveena did not back down, persistently proving to him that she was right for the role, and fortunately, the director continued to support her.
Raveena went on to explain how she requested Varma to give her a chance and, eventually, E. Nivas was convinced that she was perfect for the character. She then described a moment during the shoot when she was in her full Manjiri look. While walking down the corridor, she spotted Ram Gopal Varma coming toward her. She greeted him, but he did not immediately recognize her. After a few minutes, he exclaimed, “Oh my god! Raveena, that was you?” to which she responded, “I rest my case.”
Raveena concluded by sharing that this role in Shool was a significant turning point for her career. She had been looking for a breakthrough and was tired of playing the same roles. She emphasized that convincing Ram Gopal Varma to let her take on this character was an important step in her journey, as she was determined to take on more challenging and different roles from what she had done before.
