‘A smile reflects your gratitude for life, your celebration of it.’

Even after three decades, her million dollar smile flashes bright and brings back a flood of nostalgia for Antakshari thanks to the recent CRED ad with Annu Kapoor.

We will see Renuka Shahane once again in a film, and this time it’s an anthology, Stories On The Next Page streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from May 6. Her story will see her share the screen with dear friend Rajeshwari Sachdev.

“My creative pace is that of a tortoise because I’m extremely critical... I want to be back in front of the camera. I miss that so much,”

What was it like reuniting with Annu Kapoor for an Antakshari session after almost three decades?

It was a magical day!

Even though the musicians and technicians were different, I was transported back in time.

Annuji and I were working together after a long time and there was so much catching up to do. I got married and became a mother after Antakshari, and he had two kids.

He wants to direct, I already have, so there was that creative journey to discuss too. At the end of the day, we were sad to see each other go.

The way he throws up his hands in delight and the smile on your face at the end, that hasn’t changed with time.

(Laughs) It was difficult to recreate that energy and I checked out some of the earlier episodes of Antakshari before we started shooting.

The biggest compliment we’ve received is that many think it’s a part of the ‘90s shoot.

What was shooting like back then?

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Antakshari were among the first reality shows, Gajendra Singh (producer and director) having successfully married the Western reality show format with Indian content.

There was a sense of responsibility that comes from being a part of an incredibly popular show.

The main thing was to build a connection with Annuji, the participants and the audience which I focused on even during the ad.

Today, recruiters bring in the audience and everyone knows the business and what expressions to wear. But back then, their reactions were not prompted by the makers. They were always spontaneous.

If a song made us emotionally charged, we would see tears in their eyes too.

When we were enjoying ourselves, they would clap and dance too.

It was a natural progression of emotions and everything we did was impromptu, except for the songs at the beginning and the end, and the cue songs, which were pre-decided.

We had to have good command over language and knowledge of Hindi film playback. For me, Antakshari was a great learning experience, full of fun, laughter and sometimes tears.

What has stayed in your mind after all these years?

The UK trip was memorable.

Annuji and I were missing home and the Indian Diaspora who made up the studio audience was very emotionally charged and whenever there was a song that reminded us of our country, there would be copious tears.

(Laughs) An article which appeared in a newspaper underlined that the tears were not scripted because otherwise people wouldn’t believe it.

After Antakshari, what was it like being a part of a reality show like

Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa?

Very different, since I was not a dancer and was very inhibited.

I had to learn how to dance and perform before people.

It was a great experience, but Jhalak was not spontaneous.

The high points and low points were decided, you knew the paces, it seemed like just another acting job.

People were reading from teleprompters while during Antakshari, Gajendra and his creative team were there to support us, not impose anything on us. That’s the difference I see in reality shows today and I missed the innocence.

I guess that’s why today, even a child can predict the winner while in Antakshari, even if you didn’t know what was going to happen next.

That’s true. Nothing was pre-decided.

Those who lost, lost.

Those who won, won, fair and square.

Another show that caught on in a big way was Surabhi. Any possibility of it returning?

No. It would be difficult because now you have niche channels for each of the things Surabhi represented.

Pioneered by Siddharth Kak, it was a bouquet of our art and culture, both past and present, helped along by an enthusiastic audience who sent us stories and stuff shot locally.

Today, following the digital revolution, everyone is a star in their own homes, making reels that showcase their talents.

After Tribhanga, the 2021 film which you wrote and directed, you must have at least half-a-dozen scripts ready by now?

(Laughs) I’m working on two.

My creative pace is that of a tortoise because I’m extremely critical and unless I’m satisfied myself, I won’t even read out the first draft to my mom (eminent writer-journalist-critic Shanta Gokhale) or brother (Rhodes Scholar and writer-critic Girish Shahane).

Thankfully, one is ready. I want to be back in front of the camera. I miss that so much.

It’s a human drama; interpersonal relationships is a space I like to delve into and experiment with.

Have you revisited Tribhanga since its release, felt you could have done some things better?

Every day. But while some things can be improved during patchwork, you have to draw the line at some point because you are spending so much money daily.

Some mistakes I hadn’t even seen were pointed out by the audience and you learn from them.

Fortunately, there are a million others only I can see, flaws staring me in the face.

What’s the best reaction you’ve got?

I’ve got so many mails and messages from people saying that they may be right about how they feel about their parents, but the forgiveness they learnt from Tribhanga has changed some relationships.

That’s heartening and incredibly powerful.

Sometimes it is too late to ask for forgiveness or even give it, like it happens in the film, but for some, there’s still time to accept and make amends.

I’ve also heard some disturbing stories of sexual abuse and am overwhelmed the film gave some the confidence to talk about this and see things differently.

There can never be closure, but there can be some kind of catharsis.