Noted actress Renuka Shahane has always been known for her calm presence and dignified work in film and television. But behind that composed exterior, she says, there were moments from her early years in the industry that were deeply disturbing.
In a recent conversation with Zoom, Renuka recalled a casting couch incident that left both her and her mother shocked.
She said a film producer once came to her house with a proposition disguised as an opportunity.
Renuka shared, "A producer came to my home and made a proposition. He told me that he is married, but he asked me to become the brand ambassador of a saree company and told me that he will give me a stipend every month for living together with him. My mom and I were aghast."
Renuka refused instantly. The producer, she said, did not argue or threaten her directly. He simply moved on, likely looking for someone else who might feel pressured enough to accept the offer. But the real fear, Renuka explained, lies in what can happen after a woman says no.
According to her, refusing the advances of influential men in the film world often came with consequences. "Sometimes, when you refuse advances of someone, they come to take revenge and ask others not to take you. That is the danger. It hasn't happened to me, but it can happen," she said.
She added that colleagues have faced situations where they were suddenly replaced in projects, denied payment, or deliberately harassed. "It's a club which comes together and tries to victimise the victim more," Renuka remarked.
She also spoke about how the #MeToo movement, which once felt revolutionary, has lost its momentum with time. Many of the men who were named have returned to the industry without accountability. "The problem is that after the MeToo movement, the accused, after 5-6 years, are doing very good work after forgetting everything. And if you accuse someone and there is no back-up like a police case then people will confront you for not proving the allegation," she said. The silence, she feels, settles back in soon after the noise fades.
Renuka pointed out that even leading stars were not spared these predatory advances. She recalled a conversation with Raveena Tandon from their shooting days. "Raveena was a big heroine and she came from the industry, but she had told me that during outdoor shoots, we would change rooms every day so that nobody should know which room we are staying. So they don't come and create problem," she said.
The larger problem, Renuka suggests, is cultural and systemic. It is not just one producer or one incident, but an entire environment that protected the powerful and isolated the vulnerable.
Renuka Shahane was recently seen in the web series Dupahiya, continuing her steady career built on talent, resilience, and an unshakable sense of self-respect.
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