Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon talked about why she turned down the chance to be a part of Chaiyya Chaiyya. Tandon most recently starred in Karmma Calling. In addition to disclosing her concerns about being typecast, Raveena gave an explanation of why she turned down parts starring Shah Rukh Khan. Chaiyya Chaiyya was filmed on top of a moving train and appeared in Dil Se, directed by Mani Ratnam.

In a press conference, Raveena Tandon revealed that she was given the opportunity to sing the song Chaiyaa Chaiyaa, which features Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika Arora. Raveena said, "She mentioned that she was approached for the song after her success with Sheher Ki Ladki." She remembered that Mani Ratnam wanted to talk to her about the song for their project, and Shah Rukh Khan had told her so.

Remembering the same, she told, “I had just done Sheher Ki Ladki, right? And it had become a very big hit. Organically, Chaiyya Chaiyya came to me and I remember SRK saying that ‘Mani sir wants to talk to you because he wants you to do the song for us’.”

She went on to say that, despite her strong desire to collaborate with Mani Ratnam, she felt uncomfortable since, had she accepted the offer of another item song, it would have made her a target for stereotypes. Talking about it, she told, “And I was in a very awkward situation because although I was dying to work with Mani Ratnam Sir but then just being offered an item song again, it would have been stereotyping myself and in those days people used to get typecast, you used to get stereotyped.”

In response to the question of whether she would have made a different decision in light of the song's legacy, she stated that she believes in the idea of parallel lives and that it's a difficult scenario. She told, “I knew the song was rock solid. There were no two ways, you just had to hear the song and completely fall in love with it. It’s actually a difficult spot. I believe in the parallel life kind of thing.”

Raveena mentioned that she was offered roles in movies like Darr, Desi Babu English Men, and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, all featuring Shah Rukh Khan, which she declined. However, she expressed admiration for Shah Rukh Khan and his work. She further added, “I love him. He is one of the warmest people on this planet.”

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