Renuka Shahane recalls her iconic death scene from Hum Aapke Hain Koun, reveals staircase was made out of sponge

Sooraj Barjatya’s blockbuster Hum Aapke Hai Koun brought families closer when it hit the screens in 1994. One particular moment that left hearts shattered was the scene where Pooja, portrayed by Renuka Shahane, tragically falls down the stairs and dies.

. While filming the emotionally charged scene, Barjatya repeatedly apologized to Shahane, not because she was scared to perform the fall but because of the scene’s intensity. Even Reema Lagoo found the scene challenging. In an earlier interview, Renuka had disclosed that the filmmaker was apologetic throughout the day when they had to shoot the scene.

Recalling the shoot day, Renuka shared, “The day we had to shoot for the scene where I fall from the stairs, Sooraj Barjatya kept apologising to me. I told him, ‘Sir aap itna sorry kyun keh rahe hain, ye film ka hissa hai. It is not real (Sir, why are you apologising, this is just a part of the film)’. He gave sponge stairs to fall on as he didn’t want anyone to get hurt on his set. It was funny that he kept apologising for something which was part of the script.”

Renuka, who has always played characters that are relatable, said, “That was never a conscious decision, but yes if I pick a role, I feel it has to be relatable to me. However, that's not true always. Sometimes, the directors have convinced me; other times, the characters have excited me (sic).”

According to Renuka, portraying her character’s death on-screen was a challenging task, as dying in front of the camera is no easy feat. She shared that Barjatya had specific instructions for the scene - he wanted her face to appear calm. However, Renuka found it hard to keep her eyes still, and Barjatya had to constantly remind her to breathe calmly. “My eyes kept fluttering. If you look at it in the movie, you won’t see my eyes shut completely as they couldn’t show that,” she added.

रेणुका म्हणाली, 'दिग्दर्शक सूरज बडजात्या यांनी स्पंजच्या पायऱ्या लावल्या होत्या. ते प्रत्येक दोन मिनिटाला येऊन माझी विचारपूस करायचे. स्पंजच्या पायऱ्या असल्यामुळे मी तर तो सीन खूप एन्जॉय केला. मला वेदना होत असल्याचा अभिनय करावा लागला कारण त्या पायऱ्या खूपच

The emotional scene was eventually filmed, leaving everyone on the set in tears. Even after the director called for a cut, Reema Lagoo, who played Renuka and Madhuri Dixit Nene’s mother in the film, continued crying. “She was crying even after going back in the makeup room," Renuka reminisced.