Renuka Shahane on Circus co-star Shah Rukh Khan: He was a heartthrob; have seen him getting mobbed by fans

Updated: Apr 16, 2020, 09:34 IST | mid-day online correspondent | Mumbai

Renuka Shahane speaks about co-star Shah Rukh Khan and his stardom even back then, and how a bear chased them during the shoot one day!

Renuka Shahane; Shah Rukh Khan

Circus was one of the most popular and beloved TV shows back then, and it still continues to enjoy a huge place in people's hearts. Starring brilliant actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Renuka Shahane, Ashutosh Gowariker, Makrand Deshpande and many others.

Recently, in an interview with Mirror Online, Renuka Shahane opened up about working with Shah Rukh Khan and how she thinks he's a workaholic. She shared, "Shah Rukh had a huge craze even at that time because his previous show Fauji had done so well. He was like a heartthrob even then. At that time when he was not even a film star, I've seen him getting mobbed by fans and a crowd of around 20,000 people gathering there just to see Shah Rukh Khan."

Shahane, who was 24 when she portrayed Maria in Circus, shared how SRK was and continues to be a workaholic. "He was a workaholic. He would have worked for 36 hours at a stretch if he was asked to. That kind of energy was very infectious. Plus, all of us were already excited to work with him. I definitely was, because I had loved Fauji!"

Sharing an incident from the sets of Circus, Renuka Shahane recalled, "There was one song which we had to shoot with a wild bear. The trainer had warned us beforehand that we should not come in its way, but even though we tried to avoid it, the bear ended up chasing us! So if you watch the episode carefully, you'll see that we were terrified and were running for our lives, but still had to look calm because the camera was rolling."

Admitting that she has not watched the re-telecast of her show during the coronavirus lockdown, Renuka Shahane said, "I am not watching it again but I am glad that people are -- especially today's generation. I am very pleased to get a new audience for my old show."

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Coronavirus lockdown: 18 shows from television's golden era we wish we could rewatch!

1/21

The iconic teleserial Ramayana from the late 1980s began its re-telecast on March 28, Saturday, on DD national, amid a nationwide 21-day lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar informed the public that Doordarshan had decided to re-telecast the mythological series on public demand. Catch the show on DD National every day at 9 am and 9 pm!
2/21

After Ramayan, Doordarshan also surprised its audience with the re-telecast of another popular teleserial, Mahabharat. The official Twitter handle of Doordarshan tweeted, "REFRESH your memories!! Watch #Mahabharata on DD Bharati NOW #Doordarshan". Catch the show on DD National every day at 12 pm and 7 pm!
3/21

One of Shah Rukh Khan's most iconic roles was the one in the beloved TV show Circus. And now its time for Circus fans to rejoice, as Shekharan is back on Doordarshan! Catch the show at 8 pm on DD National!
4/21

Archana Puran Singh and the late Jatin Kanakia in Shrimaan Shrimati, one of the last hugely popular sitcoms on national television. The show also starred late actress Reema Lagoo and Rakesh Bedi.
5/21

Vijay Anand and Saurabh Shukla in Tehkikaat, one of the most underrated detective-thriller series on Indian television. In terms of content, Tehkikaat was next only to Byomkesh Bakshi.
6/21

Who can ever forget Mukesh Khanna as Shaktimaan? India's very own superhero.
7/21

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was, without doubt, the most popular cartoon superhero series of its time.
8/21

Arun Govil and Sajjan Kumar as King Vikramaditya and Betaal respectively in Vikram Aur Betaal. The show taught kids valuable life lessons while entertaining them.
9/21

Remember a little Japanese boy controlling a giant robot with a watch-like device? Giant Robot was among the earliest sci-fi shows telecast on Indian television, and remains fresh in memory even today.
10/21

Sanjay Khan shone as Tipu Sultan in the unforgettable historical drama, The Sword of Tipu Sultan'.
11/21

A still from Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, the American sci-fi series that became quite a craze among kids and teenagers when it was telecast in India.
12/21

Shahbaz Khan as Prince Virendra Singh and Shikha Swaroop as Princess Chandrakanta in Chandrakanta. The show was brought back in a new avatar as Kahaani Chandrakanta Ki on a private channel, but couldn't rework its magic.
13/21

A still from Alif Laila, the renowned series based on stories from The Arabian Nights.
14/21

Raghubir Yadav in Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne. In the show, Mungerilal (Yadav) gets bossed around by everyone, but gets back at them in his dreams!
15/21

Vijayendra Ghatge and Kiran Juneja in Buniyaad, the legendary drama series of the 1980s, which dealt with India's partition and its aftermath.
16/21

The late Jaspal Bhatti gave us reason to laugh out loud in spite of everyday troubles through Flop Show, an ever-relevant satire on socio-cultural problems faced by the common man.
17/21

Ashok Kumar discussing the story with the audience at the end of each episode of Hum Log, Indian television's first soap opera, will remain etched in memory forever.
18/21

Vijay Kashyap in and as Tenali Rama the popular south Indian folk hero.
19/21

Naseeruddin Shah was captivating as the lead character of Mirza Ghalib in the biographical television drama of the same name.
20/21

Raghubir Yadav in the satirical show Mulla Nasruddin, which had an ample dash of wit and humour to keep everyone engaged.
21/21

Pankaj Kapoor in Neem Ka Ped. The versatile actor played the character of Budhai Ram a suffering bonded labourer in a village with great conviction.

About the gallery

Now that Doordarshan has brought back iconic shows like Ramayan, Mahabharat and Circus on the telly, here's a list of 18 other classic TV shows we wish we could rewatch in the times of the coronavirus lockdown!

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