Ashutosh Rana is one of the most talented actors in the industry and gained popularity with his negative role as Gokul Pandit in Dushman (1988). He is married to Hum Aapke Hain Kaun actress Renuka Shahane and they are one of the most adorable couple in the industry. In a throwback interview, Ashutosh Rana once revealed that love gradually blossomed between and they played ”Phone a Friend” with each other for nearly three months, before he proposed to her with a special poem.
The actor made an appearance in The Kapil Sharma Show in 2020 with his wife, Renuka Shahane, and they spilled the beans on their relationship and love story that took place two decades ago. The couple revealed they first met during the premiere of Hansal Mehta’s debut directorial, Jayate.
Rana, who was already an admirer of Shahane’s work, shared that the director, Ravi Rai, had wanted to do a show with him and Renuka Shahane. Given the opportunity, he took Renuka’s contact number from the filmmaker, who gave him instructions. Rai shared that the actress doesn’t answer unknown calls or other calls after 10 pm.
As a result, Ashutosh had left a message on her answering machine wishing her for Dussehra. However, he didn’t reveal his identity to her because he felt the actress would find his number if she wanted to talk to him. Later, Renuka replied to the wishes through her sister, and their ‘phone a friend’ banter through calls continued for around three months.
He said, “Maine usi din raat ko 10:30 baje inhe call kardia aur kaha Thank you Renuka ji aapne apna number de dia. Aur aise teen mahine hum phone a friend khelte rahe.” ( I called her at 10:30 that day and said Thank you, Renuka ji, for giving your number, and we continued playing phone a friend for three months.)
The couple took a few months to get to know each other better, and then the actor wrote a special poem that required an answer to propose to Shahane. He shared that they both liked poetry. He thought if she had the same feelings, she would reply with a ”Yes,” and the same happened while the rest is history.
Renuka and Ashutosh got married in 2001 in Madhya Pradesh and have two sons, Shauryaman and Satyendra. They have been married for 23 years and never forget to acknowledge the role of one other in another life, that showcases their love for one another.
