Renuka Shahane: "We are not exploring Indian stories as much as we used to"

Renuka Shahane in a still from 'Sunshower' in 'Stories on the Next Page'.

Renuka Shahane, who directed her first Hindi film Tribhanga last year, is now part of director Brinda Mitra’s micro-anthology Stories on the Next Page, streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.

Shahane and Rajeshwari Sachdev play a lesbian couple who come together after years of staying apart because of circumstances. The actress spoke about her role, working with a friend and her next directorial projects. Edited excerpts:

You started your career with television at a time when there were weekly shows and the content was original and progressive. Now, OTT is at a similar point where they are experimenting with original content. Since you have seen both these phases, do you think you can draw parallels between them?

Yes and no. The yes is for the variety and the kind of strong, progressive roles that women are getting. Yet, I feel we are not exploring Indian stories as much as we used to. I feel there is a space for an urban, westernized audience. I miss literary classics which is a space Doordarshan used to provide. Also, the fact that India is a diverse country with so many different stories and languages. Certain languages are taken up by OTT platforms quite easily but so many others where good work is being done are not being explored.

In a recent interview, Vidya Balan said that the variety of roles being written for women is far more exciting than what’s happening in the male space. Do you agree?

I agree hands down! It’s time that men reinvent what they are part of. They are either stuck in a macho image or promoting films with some social cause. Apart from that, the hero as such does not have as many shades as heroines do. So yes, I think it’s a great time to be a woman on screen.

What was your reaction when you were offered the role of someone from the LGBTQI+ community in 'Stories on the Next Page'?

I thought it was such a sensitively-portrayed situation; I fell in love with the character of Ira and I identified with her because of the kind of compromises she had to make in the past. There is a sense of wanting to say sorry to somebody who was her first love. That feeling is something one is not a stranger to. The gender of the person does not matter if you are in love. I thought the character and story had a nice graph even within a limited time.

You have been the face of traditions and middle-class values, especially after 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun'. Did the audience embrace you in this avatar?

The feedback I received has been only positive. I think it’s also because Brinda has portrayed the story in a sensitive manner and not sensationalized it, which is what a lot of people tend to do. She wanted to point out that there are many compromises that one makes and this can even be with first loves amongst heterosexuals. I think as an actor, one has to choose a subject one feels strongly about and I am a huge LGBTQI ally. I am on the advisory board of Kashish Queer Film Festival. There are so many shades of love that need acceptance. Certainly, people are not always accepting of same-sex stories but maybe a conversation can start because people like Rajeshwari and I are part of it.

Did it make it easier that the person playing your partner in the story is Rajeshwari whom you have known for many years?

I was thrilled because Raj and I have been close friends for such a long period of time and yet have never had the chance to work with each other. That kind of association that you have to create within eight minutes is made easier when you are working with such a fine actress who is also close to you as a friend.

You have not been very active on the acting front. Is it because you are now more inclined towards direction or just that you haven’t received the right offers?

Both. The process of writing a script is a very tedious one, especially for me. I am not a very fast writer. I started working on two scripts immediately after Tribhanga and I hope to start pitching them in a month or two. It’s a process that requires time and energy. Acting wise, I like to take up assignments that speak to me in some way and something I have not done before. Those kinds of offers don’t come by very easily. I do have some things coming up but I am not at liberty to speak about them.

Your husband Ashutosh Rana is such a talented actor. Would you like to direct him some day?

Yes, I would definitely want to direct him but I have still not been able to write the perfect role for him. I don’t want to direct him in something I am not happy with for him. I have such huge admiration for him as an actor so I don’t want to underutilise or misuse him in my film.