Renuka Shahane faced stereotyping after Hum Aapke Hain Koun: 'It was very restrictive’

Actor Renuka Shahane made everyone laugh and cry with her role of the ‘perfect girl next door’ Pooja in the 1994 blockbuster Hum Aapke Hain Koun. Now, she has revealed that there was a time when she was stereotyped for the character. Also read: Renuka Shahane talks about divorce from 1st husband, falling for Ashutosh Rana in her 30s

Renuka Shahane looks back

During an interview with Filme Shilmy, Renuka said she never felt confined by the role. However, she shared that many casting directors and filmmakers struggled to envision her in roles beyond that.

Renuka shares, “People who cast actors could never think I could ever play anything with grey shades or anything which was unkind. So, in that sense, it was very restrictive because, as an actor, I would like to play all sorts of characters. The impact of that role was so big that even the roles that I got on television were pretty much of girls who were relatable, who were very much part of Indian value system. The roles that came to me did not go beyond that. But to tell you frankly, I didn’t mind being typecast."

She looked back at her time on Hum Aapke Hain Koun, revealing that everyone was serious and emotional in front of her photo. Renuka recounted, “Everyone was there, and they were very, very serious. I went to the set to see how the shoot was going, and I was just smiling and watching the whole thing, watching everyone cry their hearts out. When they saw me, they were like ‘she is sitting here and laughing at us.’ They shooed me away that ‘you go away from the set, we are trying to do our job’."

Renuka also revealed that her late co-star Reema Lagoo, who played her mother, was very upset during the hospital scene. Her character dies in the film. Hum Aapke Hain Koun, directed by Sooraj Barjatya, starred Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan in lead roles.

More about Renuka

In recent years, Renuka has featured in projects such as Govinda Naam Mera, Masoom, and Dil Ne Jisse Apna Kaha. She will soon be seen in the web series, Dupahiya, which is directed by Sonam Nair and created and written by Avinash Dwivedi and Chirag Garg. It also stars Gajraj Rao, Bhuvan Arora, Sparsh Shrivastava, Shivani Raghuvanshi, and Yashpal Sharma.