Renuka Shahane Shares Why Shah Rukh Khan Was Skeptical Of Her During Circus Days | EXCLUSIVE

Initially,

Renuka Shahane was heading towards academia and was looking to do her PhD after a year-long break. But an offer to act in the TV show Circus came along, and filmmaker Aziz Mirza convinced her to choose acting over studies. At that time, filmmakers like Shyam Benegal, Kundan Shah, and Saeed Mirza were also working in TV. However, Renuka revealed that after she joined, lead actor Shah Rukh Khan was not convinced about her abilities on the show. Here's how she managed to win him over.

Renuka Shahane on working with Shah Rukh Khan in first TV role Circus

In an interview with Zoom, the Tribhanga filmmaker recalled her audition. She shared, "The audition for Circus was very entertaining because the role I was supposed to do didn't have a script. It was that role of Shah Rukh's friend who comes with him from abroad. It was a very small role. When I went for my audition, they couldn't find the script. They said, 'Don't worry, the script for Maria is there. Read that instead. We will be able to judge.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlzun22Ls6Y

After her audition, Aziz Mirza and the rest of the team wanted her on board as Maria. It was filmmaker Amole Gupte who had suggested her name without even seeing her. At that time, there wasn't a concept of casting directors.ALSO READ: Shah Rukh Khan gets into hilarious banter with his 'pehli heroine' Renuka Shahane over PathaanRecalling her experience acting opposite Shah Rukh Khan, Renuka said, "We are very proud of [Shah Rukh Khan]. His way of working, at that time too, was overflowing with sincerity. He couldn't see beyond work. He gave not 100 but 200 per cent on set. He had one goal: to squeeze everything out of the scene he was in. I saw this attitude from day one." She revealed, "In the beginning, he was a bit skeptical about me because I had never worked before and he had already done Fauji. He was already popular. When he saw my first scene, in which I wasn't there, and then came over and said, 'It was good. Accha kiya tumne.' The fun part of it was the improvisations because we're both from theater. Another thing is that he's very respectful." Since then, Renuka has gone on to make a name for herself in the Hindi and Marathi industries and even become a filmmaker. Meanwhile, King actor SRK is one of Bollywood's and India's biggest superstars today.