The original mast-mast girl Raveena Tandon who has completed 25 years (‘silver jubilee’) in Bollywood having made her debut opposite Salman Khan in the runaway hit ‘Patthar Ke Phool’ (1991) seemed optimistic that her latest hard-hitting movie ‘Maatr’ (Mother) “will rattle the audiences from their apathy towards brutal crimes against Indian women”.
Justifying as to why she took up the ‘one-woman-army vendetta’ assignment, Raveena said, “It is not always that an actress gets to play a challenging role that pushes her beyond her limits and this is exactly why I grabbed this author-backed character in ‘Maatr’ directed by Ashtar Syed and co-produced by Anjum Rizvi. The movie exposes the lacunae and loop-holes in our judicial system where some of the rape-accused culprits walk out scot-free.
Outdated laws needs to be urgently amended to include drastic deterrent punishment to tackle today’s dangerous times. That’s because there seems to be no fear among the rapists, that law will take its stringent punitive course. Socially, at a young age, all boys should be taught to respect girls and women at all times.”
Raveena further disclosed that she was so involved in her motherly character that she would get “emotionally disturbed” and “I couldn’t stop crying during some impactful portions of my ‘Maatr’ dubbing”. Incidentally, the role of Raveena’s young on-screen daughter who suffers the nightmarish assault is played by Alisha (of controversial ‘Talvar’ fame), while ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ actor Madhur Mittal is cast as the sadistic antagonist.