Raveena Tandon’s entry into Bollywood was significantly influenced by her initial encounter with Salman Khan. Salman Khan launched his career in the late 1980s, while Raveena Tandon’s journey in Bollywood began in the 1990s. Their careers crossed paths early on, and a specific meeting proved pivotal for Raveena.
Although Raveena Tandon’s father was a respected filmmaker, Ravi Tandon, she didn’t initially aspire to act. Before becoming an actress, she interned with ad film director Prahlad Kakkar, working on modeling projects. It was during this time that Salman Khan offered her a film.
Raveena, in an interview, described her first meeting with Salman Khan. She was interning when Salman had already achieved fame with ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ (1989). The meeting occurred after his debut.
Raveena explained that she would sometimes fill in as a model on shoots when one wasn’t available, donning costumes for the camera. She was shooting in Bandra when her friend Bunty, also a friend of Salman, called and suggested a meeting. Raveena met Bunty, where Salman was present. Salman was looking for a new actress for his film ‘Patthar Ke Phool’ at the time.
Salman Khan chose Raveena during the meeting, offering her the role, which she accepted. This marked her entry into Bollywood. The film was released in 1991 and helped Raveena build a successful career. Following this, Salman and Raveena co-starred in films such as ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ (1994) and ‘Kehi Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye’ (2000).