‘Shah Rukh Khan a workaholic, could have worked 36 hours in a day’: Circus co-star Renuka Shahane

As her show Circus is being rerun on Doordarshan, Renuka Shahane remembers how she was chased by a bear on the sets of the show.

Bollywood actor Renuka Shahane has revealed she was chased by bear on the sets of her TV show with Shah Rukh Khan, Circus. As Doordarshan brings back several of the popular serials from the 90s amid lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, Circus will also be rerun on the channel.

Renuka Shahane talks about the time she worked with Shah Rukh Khan in Circus - a show that is now running again on Doorarshan.

Renuka told Mumbai Mirror in an interview, “There was one song which we had to shoot with a wild bear. That bear was supposed to ride a motorcycle and perform in front of the crowd while we all danced behind it. 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.” Directed by Vicky Aziz Mirza and Kundan Shah, Circus was one of Shah Rukh Khan’s earliest roles. It also starred Pawan Malhotra, and Ashutosh Gowariker.

Renuka also talked about her experience of working with Shah Rukh - a young actor then who had already won over audience with his TV show Fauji. “It was great as we all were quite young and enthusiastic. Shah Rukh was 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. He was a workoholic. 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,” she told the tabloid.

About the rerun of the show, Renuka recently told Hindustan Times in an interview, “The youngsters have been watching it with their parents, and there have been many reactions on social media. Shah Rukh is still a star for the next five generations to come. A lot of people had missed the serial earlier, I am happy to see my role and the show getting appreciated.”

The show revolved around a circus that had an unwilling manager - Shekharan who is taking care of the circus, going against his own dreams. Shah Rukh played Shekharan who developes a bond with the people around and his hatred for the circus evaporates. After his acting debut with Fauji, Circus was his second project as well as second successful stints in showbiz. Renuka played the role of a young Maria in Circus, believes that the youth is loving the show because of its unique subject.

Apart from Circus, superhero show Shaktimaan and cult classic Chanakya, mythological serials Ramayan and Mahabharat have also joined the list of classic reruns on Doordarshan amid the nationwide lockdown.

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