Renuka Shahane has been in the entertainment industry for close to four decades now. Beginning with Marathi television and graduating to iconic films, the actor has now found her niche in slice-of-life stories. Her upcoming show, Dupahiya, sees her play a village pradhan in a rural comedy of errors. In conversation with HT, Renuka opens up on the show and her journey so far. (Also read: Renuka Shahane faced stereotyping after Hum Aapke Hain Koun: ‘It was very restrictive’)
Renukha Shahane on Dupahiya
On the show, the dupahiya (two-wheeler) is a symbol of apsiration for the lower middle-class rural population of India. Ask her about her aspirations growing up and Renuka has a surprising reply, “I was very ambition-less since childhood. I had no dreams of becoming an actor. I was a good student. There was one thing that I wanted and that has come true, which was becoming a mother.”
Acting happened accidentally to Renuka after the theatre. In the last decade or so, she has become selective. Talking about what prompts her to do something like Dupahiya, she says, “I am selective because I have a lot of responsibilities. I cannot do more work. For me, the payout is very important. What kind of things I step out of the house to do versus what I have to do at home as a mother, a wife, and a bahu.”
Hum Aapke Hain Koun memes keep me alive
To a generation, Renuka is best remembered as the host of Surabhi, Doordarshan’s iconic variety show. But to younger audiences, she is the tragic Pooja from Hum Aapke Hain Koun. She laughs when we mention that the scene of her character falling down the stairs has become an internet meme over the years. “I really enjoy it because it’s like pop art. It passes down from generation to generation in a very different way,” she says, adding, “You have to open yourself up to all these possibilities if you are an actor. You have to delve in all these mediums and be updated. Otherwise, you will be history even though you are a part of such a historic film.”
Renuka adds that things like memes keep ‘actors of a certain age’ relevant these days. She explains, “These are the things that keep you alive in the conversations, otherwise our society is so ageist. After a particular age, you don’t generally get the kind of attention that maybe your talent deserves. These memes and stuff keep you alive.”
Dupahiya also stars Gajraj Rao, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Sparsh Srivastava, and Bhuvan Arora. The show will premiere on Amazon Prime Video from March 7.
