Renuka Shahane | She is still as charming as she was in the 90s and there’s no way one can steal it. Musba Hashmi speaks with Shahane about her association with &Prive HD, what keeps her grounded and a lesson that her character in Hum Aapke Hain Koun taught her

How does it feel to be back on TV screens with the promo film on &Prive HD?

It feels great to be back on TV especially with something that has such a unique concept and idea that we have created with &Prive HD for the ad. It was lovely to work with Deepak Tijori. I have known him for many years but we never got a chance to work with each other. Rohit and Sanaya are such lovely people to work with too. Also, I am getting to play a meek character, that was something I haven’t done before.

A message that you would like to give on the occasion of the launch Prive World Box Office.

There is no message as such, but  like it is aptly put in the ad that films have their own language and that it is not a barrier for you to enjoy entertaining cinema. So World Box Office on March 5 is coming up with a bouquet of films in 10 languages and all of them are blockbusters in their own language. But it is sad that we do know about the Hollywood blockbusters, but not the ones that are of other languages. The good thing is people can experience the joy of family viewing with these films because the same film will be showed at 9 pm every day in a week. Hence, it will be convenient for people to set a time and watch that movie within that week. Then the film will change the next week and people can see another film in another language and perhaps another genre. It will be exciting and entertaining for the whole family, that’s the best part of it.

What keeps you so grounded?

It’s the kind of upbringing that I have that keeps me grounded. I am an extremely simple person and luckily I have got a partner who is as simple as I am. We keep our work out of our homes because at the end of the day we are just husband and wife. Also, the fact that both Rana ji and I are balanced about the way that we look at ourselves. We don’t give ourselves that much importance. It is just that we are a part of a profession that is glamorous, but otherwise we are simple.

If one talks about Renuka, there is no way of not talking about Hum Aapke Hain Koun. Some memories from the sets of the film?

There are so many memories from the sets. The whole shooting of that film was once in a lifetime experience to get. It’s rare to get producers like Rajshri Productions and director like Sooraj Barjatya. I am grateful to them for casting me in the film and creating characters that continue to stay with people. I am known as Pooja. I haven’t done too much work in Hindi cinema but my calling card is Hum Aapke Hain Koun. I owe my success and popularity to Sooraj ji and the film. And of course there are so many things. I remember when we were shooting Dhik Tana in Ootie and between takes we used to play dumb chirades and there was a lot of camaraderie. The kind of atmosphere you saw in the film was exactly like we had on the sets. A lot of credit goes to Madhuri and Salman, they were so down to earth and respectful to everyone on the sets. There was a lot to learn from them. We had shot for 150 days and through the making of the film we had become a really tight unit.

There is always a learning with every film one does and the character one plays. What was it with Pooja?

With Pooja, what stayed with me is her grace and resilience. She had a clear point of view which was seen in the way she treated Lallu and Chameli and how she loved them as much as she loved every other family member of the family. She was not a doormat by any standards.

How do you see your journey in all these years?

It has been incredible. When I started out, I didn’t have any ambitions. I never practiced my award winning speeches. There was nothing as dramatic. It was a process of learning on the job. I was not formally trained and yet the amount of love I have received over years is overwhelming.

You were also a part of the fantastic series What The Folks. How did that happen?

It was something that just dropped into my lap out of the blue. It was the first series that I have acted in for a digital platform. I heard of the series from my close friend Deepika Deshpande Amin. She was in Season 1 and she plays Eisha Chopra’s mother. So, when I got the offer for Season 2, I was excited to be a part of it. Also the character that I was offered to play was cute. She was a modern mother and had a different relationship with her daughter-in-law. It was refreshing to see such relationships. I enjoyed myself and that association has been wonderful.