I'm too much of a woman for most men

She has almost everything a woman could desire...a plush home, loving parents, a successful career, awards and adulation. So, what is one thing that still eludes her in life? In an intimate tete-a-tete, Raveena speaks on matters closest to her heart — love, marriage and life. Cine Blitz’s Purnima Sushmita caught the daring damsel in a relaxed mood at her home in Bombay. Purnuma writes, Raveena is intelligent, attractive, vibrant and most importantly, single. In short a dream woman, as far as eligible bachelors are concerned. But alas that special someone is still playing truant. Her friends insist that she must settle down with a man who conforms to her mental wave length. Raveena though doesn’t give a hoot what the world thinks. You would never find a trace of discontent on her visage. Wiser with experience, she has realised that in order to survive in this highly competitive arena, she needs to keep her emotion in check and her dedication to work absolute. And she has done just that. Raveena took Best Actress award for her role in the movie AKS. She managed to steal the award from top-of-the-line actresses, Rekha and Madhuri. “I was very pleasantly surprised when I won the award. “I was sure it would be Rekha because my role in AKS was a glamorous one. Often the critic award goes to the actresses wearing cotton saris and no make-up. Both Rekha and Madhuri have a lot of experience. They have handled the kinds of roles which we are only getting now. So it is not fair to say that I am competing with them. I feel the award was given to me to encourage heroines of my age to handle these kinds of roles,” she said.  

Whether it’s her vulnerable presence in the movie, Daman or her vibrant appeal in AKS, she has indeed lapped up all her adulation. Raveena is certainly basking in all her glory. She seems to drink deeply from this cup of contentment as she purrs..... “Yes, I am happy with the lot.” Talking about the hot steamy roles she did opposite Nagarjuna in the film, Agnivarsha she noted that she was fully dressed while doing these scenes. “Even in the passionate scenes in AKS I was fully dressed with just my expressions reflecting my passion. Similarly, in Agnivarsha there is no nudity — all the steam you see comes from the passion that I carry through the entire scene,” she cleared the air. She was quick to say that she draws the line on nudity in films. Isn’t she afraid that these steamy scenes will go against her when she wants to marry and settle down? “Oh what a hypocritical question this is!” she exclaimed.  She continues to speak in high pitch, “I’ve been one of the actresses who would draw the line. Even in the scene with Nags, we barely touched lips. And when I get married, it would be to someone whom I know very well. Obviously he will also know me well enough. And if he doesn’t, well he isn’t man enough to stand next to me because I’m too much of a woman.” Purmina continued the conversation by commenting on her prolonged single status. While her contemporaries are settling down, she is still single. What’s stopping her from tying the knot? “These things happen when they are meant to. I’m not the kind to have flings. I might date a man, if I am a little interested in the person. If I don’t find anybody till I am getting grey, I’ll go in an arranged marriage,” she had as an answer for this question.

She added that she had been engaged before and it was a painful experience when she decided to get out of it. “I’m not willing to take another risk,” she said. She had been a tomboy since she was a kid. “Initially, I used it as a defence mechanism, which then became a permanent characteristic. Even today when someone tells me I am looking fantastic, I refuse to believe it. I would prefer to be a hero’s buddy than a sashay across and fling my cloak or spin my wand around.” Raveena confessed that she entered the Bollywood Film Industry with an aim to bring the real to life stories across. “Not just love stories but those with hard hitting issues of politics, poverty and patriotic stories that can command the attention of the audiences in any part of the world,” she said.