People still mostly offer me purist roles: Renuka Shahane
She set the benchmark as the ‘perfect bahu’ and ‘bhabhi’ with her role in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (HAHK; 1994). And ever since, actor Renuka Shahane has found it difficult to get rid of the so called purist image. So much so that she feels this restricted her chance of getting roles with varied scope. “I have a face which is (household) woman-like, something relatable. People cast me in that mould. It is an advantage to be stereotyped, as you clearly get a lot of roles of that similar kind. I do feel that as an actor, I should explore other character traits. I do miss getting a wide range of characters,” admits the 54-year-old who next directs a digital film.
“That is still the case. HAHK stayed for so long in people’s minds, that they come up to me even now and say ‘you were good in that film’. It was a huge advantage to be a part of a film like that,” adds Renuka. Over the years,apart from films, the actor has also been a part of some popular shows such as Circus (which starred Shah Rukh Khan), Kora Kaagaz (directed by actor Asha Parekh) and Sailaab (1990) among others.
And seeing how classic films and shows are getting remade nowadays, its possible that the same happens with one of Renuka’s show too. Ask her how she’d react to the same and the actor says, “I think the original is there for the people to go and watch. How you tell the story is more important. Sometimes, it really works . If it isn’t done well, then it’s a wasted opportunity.”
RENUKA SHAHANE
ACTOR