Ashutosh Rana and Renuka Shahane’s marriage has stood the test of time and is one of the strongest in Bollywood. The two very talented actors have been married for the past 19 years, and are inspirational to many. The couple recently featured on The Kapil Sharma Show, where they not only revealed how their love story unfolded but also shared some interesting anecdotes from their courtship period.
Their first meeting
Image Credit: Renuka Shahane and Ashutosh Rana, Instagram
The couple met on the premiere of Jayati, a film by Hansal Mehta, and were introduced by their mutual friend singer Rajeshwari Sachdev. Recounting their first meeting on how he complimented Renuka, he said, “Hum aapke bade prashansak hain”. Interestingly, at that point, Renuka was unaware of his films and acting career.
The chance call
Director Ravi Rai, who wanted to make a show with the two actors, warned Ashutosh when he asked for Renuka’s number. Ashutosh recalls, “Ravi warned me that Renuka doesn’t pick up unknown numbers or check her phone after 10 pm. He was right. I left a Dussehra wish on her answering machine, with my name but not my number, hoping she’ll find a way to contact me.”
Adding that Renuka did call him back, he said: “I left another message on her machine to thank her for wishing me and the following day, she finally shared her personal number with my sister. For the next three months, we played phone-a-friend”. The duo finally met after three months.
Image Credit: Renuka Shahane and Ashutosh Rana, Instagram
Apart from this, Renuka shared a funny anecdote about the first time she went on his film set, during the shoot of Sangharsh. She recounts, “I saw him saying the dialogue, “Main insaan nahi hu.” Leaving everyone in splits, Kapil commented, “You are so sweet. How did you fall in love with a person who was wearing a sari and playing that character in Sangharsh?”
The poetic proposal
Image Credit: Renuka Shahane and Ashutosh Rana, Instagram
When it came to confiding his feelings to Renuka, Ashutosh went the poetic way. He recited a poem that ended with a question and revealed “She paused for a second and finally confessed that she was in love with me too.” Upon knowing that their love is mutual, Ashutosh replied, “Aap laut kar aaiye fir iss vishay par or baat karenge.”
Renuka’s past and her failed marriage
However, like every relationship, they too had their share of struggles. Renuka’s mom was apprehensive about her relationship. In one of her previous interviews, Renuka said, “My mother was very tense, not because it was my second marriage, but due to Ashutosh’s family background. His family, which hails from a little hamlet in Madhya Pradesh, consists of twelve members (sic).” However, there were no doubts on Ashutosh’s part. “Her past didn’t feature in any of our long discussions,” he added.
The low-key traditional wedding
Image Credit: Renuka Shahane and Ashutosh Rana, Instagram
The couple had a traditional wedding with only close friends and family in attendance. After dating for almost three years, they tied the knot in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, the birthplace of Ashutosh. “We wanted it to remain simple because Ashutosh’s spiritual guru wanted it that way. Simplicity suits us fine as we had no time to arrange an elaborate wedding,” Renuka added. They are blessed with two sons, Shouryamana and Satyendra.
The couple seemed to have great fun on the show. Despite being two absolutely different personalities their love and bond is intact after two decades. Pure marriage goals!
Lead Image Credits: Renuka Shahane and Ashutosh Rana, Instagram
