Renuka Shahane holds the unique distinction of being the first heroine of Shah Rukh Khan, having shared the screen with him in the television series Circus, directed by Aziz Mirza and Kundan Shah. In a recent conversation with Radio Nasha Official, Renuka opened up about being the first heroine to work alongside Shah Rukh during the early days of his acting career.
She described the experience as fabulous, saying, “Woh already Fauji kar chuke thay… unka bohot bada fan base already ban chuka tha… toh uski shooting dekhne itne hazaar log aate thay.” (“He had already done Fauji… he already had a huge fan base… so thousands of people used to come just to watch the shoot.”) She went on to highlight how professional he was, juggling shoots with two different directors and teams, often working for long hours without complaint. “Maine usko 36 ghante tak kaam karte dekha hai,” (“I’ve seen him work for 36 hours straight,”) she recalled, noting his tireless dedication.
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Renuka Shahane also echoed sentiments shared by many of Shah Rukh Khan’s co-actors about his humility and respectful attitude toward everyone on set. “Woh spotboye se lekar producer tak har kisi ko equal treat karta hai. Kahin par bhi uske mann mein hierarchy nahi hai.” (“He treats everyone equally, from the spot boy to the producer. There is no sense of hierarchy in his mind.”) She emphasized how much of a gentleman he is — especially in his interactions with women — and how he makes an effort to connect with people and appreciate their work.
Interestingly, Renuka’s husband, Ashutosh Rana also shared screen space with Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan, portraying the character of Colonel Luthra. At the time, Renuka had posted pictures of herself and Ashutosh on Twitter as they went on a movie date to watch Pathaan. Soon after she shared the images, SRK humorously teased her, tweeting: “Col Luthraji ko bataya aapne ki aap meri pehli heroine hain (Did you tell Col Luthra that you are my first heroine)!! Or should we keep it a Top Secret otherwise he may fire me from the agency!!!”