'We Are Fixated By White Skin In India'

'Not just women, but even men are judged by the colour of their skin and have to fight prejudice every day.'

Photograph: Kind courtesy Renuka Shahane/Instagram

Whether or not Renuka Shahane will enter politics, she's certainly inspirational as the sweetly smiling, grass-root politician who tries to break the glass ceiling and keep Dhadakpur crime-free for a bigger goal in Amazon Prime Video's OTT series Dupahiya.

She's got other aces up her sleeves but she's taking her time.

Renuka tells Rediff.com's Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya, "I'm a little slow when it comes to writing. I have a lot of family responsibilities that I have to attend to with the children growing up, so writing takes a backseat."

After watching Dupahiya one wishes you would do more work.

I am, actually.

Dupahiya was shot around August to October 2023.

I did other projects which should come out soon so people will see me more frequently now.

There's a film called Chakda Xpress that I'm really looking forward to. It's a beautiful character with a very different look.

The film is a biographical sports drama, a genre I'm not associated with.

It's not a very big role, but it's important to the narrative.

I really enjoyed working with Anushka Sharma and our director, Prosit Roy.

IMAGE: Anushka Sharma and Renuka Shahane on the sets of Chakda Xpress. Photograph: Kind courtesy Anushka Sharma/Instagram

Since Dupahiya started streaming, any reactions in particular from women in small towns and villages like Dhadakpur on any of the issues it raised?

I think what has really hit home is the issue of colourism which was highlighted through Pushplata's daughter.

Nirmal is a very intelligent girl who encourages everybody to do something beyond their capability. Yet, she herself is struggling with an inferiority complex.

In a country like India where we are still fixated on white skin, not just women, but even men are judged by the colour of their skin and have to fight prejudice every day.

In the circumstances, for a mother to tell her daughter that she does not need any kind of skin treatment and that if someone rejected her for her dusky complexion, then they have a black heart, is pretty awesome. That has touched a lot of hearts.

Komal Kushwaha, who plays Nimal, turned the spotlight on this colour prejudice and its impact on young minds beautifully through her nuanced performance.

Some of the older ladies also loved my character Pushplata's spirit.

They found the middle-aged widow in a way out village, struggling with power equations, and yet, in her small way, trying to break the glass ceiling, inspiring.

One saw you in an unconventional avatar in the short film, Sunshower, which was part of the anthology, Stories on the Next Page, written and directed by Brinda Mitra. Rajeshwari Sachdeva and you play a couple who, urged on by your screen son, get a chance to finally find happiness together.

Yeah, it's a lovely film, just around 20 minutes. It is streaming on Jio Hotstar.

There's another short film, Ek Kadam, playing on the Pocket Films YouTube Channel.

That's much more in line with what I have been doing on television, the long suffering, submissive woman of substance.

It struck a chord with a lot of women, even empowered women, urging them to take that one step forward to finding happiness.

There was another film with Lakshmi Iyer and Ananth Mahadevan, First Second Chance, which is also streaming on YouTube.

I love doing stuff like this which offers food for thought and hopefully, a slight change in people's mindsets.

IMAGE: A scene from Renuka Shahane's Marathi animation film Loop Line.

You have directed a short film too?

Yes. I have written, directed and produced a Marathi animation film, Loop Line, which is doing very well on the festival circuit.

I was at Tasveer, a South Asian Film Festival in Seattle, where it bagged Best Animation Award and an honourary mention for Best Narrative Short last year.

It revolves around a day in the life of a middle-class Maharashtrian housewife, who is representative of millions of women.

Why animation?

I have always been fascinated by animation which is the predecessor to moving pictures.

The film is a salute to that art that sadly, has not evolved much in terms of mature content in our country.

We still think of animation as related to children, cartoons and advertising despite appreciating anime from abroad.

I could have made Loop Line as live action, but it was like a calling.

Something inside me was urging me to experiment with animation.

I met Soumitra Ranade, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Director of Paperboat Design Studios at the NFDC production market, and asked him if we could collaborate.

This was the first time they were working with a director who was not a part of the direct process of animation.

Loop Line is just around eight minutes but has travelled from New Zealand to Iceland, validating the fact that if a subject has universal appeal, people from across the world can relate to it.

We need to make more such films so they can be subsidised.

Currently, animation is a labour-intensive and expensive process.

For me, it was a passion project. I don't expect any returns on my investment, knowing there are no distribution channels for animated films with mature content in India.

IMAGE: Renuka Shahane and Kajol in Tribhanga.

Not even on OTT?

I wouldn't know; I haven't pitched it to any OTT platform yet.

After we finish the rounds of the festival circuit by July, I will do so.

If any of them pick it up, it would be great. Otherwise, I will be only too happy to put it on YouTube, so people can watch it for free.

Have you written anything that could turn into a feature film, which you could direct like Rita or Tribhanga?

Yes, there are two feature films scripts that I have written and a short film which I might turn into a feature.

(Laughs) I'm still working on them; I'm a little slow when it comes to writing.

I have a lot of family responsibilities that I have to attend to with the children growing up, so writing takes a backseat.

IMAGE: Ashutosh Rana with his sons, Shouryaman and Satyendra.

Are your sons, Shouryaman and Satyendra, showing signs of following in the footsteps of their talented parents?

Not at all. They are far removed from our world.

Right now, they are still studying and haven't figured out what they want to do.

I've told them it's okay to take their time and then pursue their passion.

So it could be acting too?

As of now, they are not keen.

(Laughs) Also, they are so pressurised by the fact that people might see them as nepo kids, bechare!

When both the parents are in the industry, that's a lot of pressure on any kid from the industry to live up to.

IMAGE: Ashutosh Rana as Raavan in the play Humare Ram.

You have a Marathi film releasing soon?

Yes, on April 25, and I am waiting for people to see it.

It's produced by Luv Film, their first Marathi film, and directed by Tejas Prabha, with whom I had done the Marathi comedy drama, Bucket List, earlier.

It has Mahesh Manjrekar in the title role and is a really intense script.

Your husband, Ashutosh Rana, has been doing a very popular play, Humare Ram, in which he plays Raavan. Have you ever thought of doing something on stage?

Not really. I'm thinking of doing things behind the camera now.

Also, a play requires a different kind of commitment.

Ranaji has been doing this for the last one year, and because the play is hugely popular, he's basically been doing only this.

It also requires you to travel a lot which I can't do. I need time to handle our home, kids and my writing.

(Laughs) In between, thoda bahut acting bhi kar leti hoon (I do some acting too).