The careers of Raveena Tandon and Salman Khan are intertwined, with a single meeting acting as a catalyst for Raveena’s Bollywood debut. Salman Khan’s career began in the late 80s, while Raveena stepped into the industry in the 90s. Their paths crossed professionally early on, but the initial meeting with Salman Khan significantly influenced Raveena’s future.
Raveena Tandon, daughter of the well-known filmmaker Ravi Tandon, initially didn’t envision a career in acting. Before venturing into Bollywood, she gained experience by interning with ad film director Prahlad Kakkar, participating in modeling projects. It was during this period that Salman Khan presented her with a film opportunity, which she accepted.
In an interview, Raveena shared the story of her first encounter with Salman Khan. She was interning at the time, while Salman Khan had already achieved stardom with ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ (1989). The meeting took place after his debut.
Raveena mentioned that she would sometimes fill in for absent models during shoots directed by Prahlad Kakkar, wearing costumes for the camera. During a shoot in Bandra, her friend Bunty, who was also friends with Salman Khan, contacted her and suggested they meet. When Raveena met Bunty, Salman was present. Salman was in search of a new actress for his film ‘Patthar Ke Phool’ at the time.
During their meeting, Salman Khan chose Raveena for the role. This led to her debut in Bollywood. The film was released in 1991. After this, Raveena quickly made her mark in Bollywood. Salman and Raveena also worked in films such as ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ (1994) and ‘Kehi Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye’ (2000).