Why Ashutosh Rana and Renuka Shahane went in for the most non celeb marriage.

He broke into the big league with his role as the psychopathic killer in Tanuja Chandra's Dushman, followed by the role of another psychopath in Chandra's Sangharsh, yet Ashutosh Rana fell big time when he met Renuka Shahane, the quintessential good girl of Hindi filmdom and television serials.

They met three years ago and for the better part of the past two years were a couple. Finally, in May, Rana's spiritual guru, Dev Prabhakar Shastri told a pleased as punch Rana that he should marry Renuka. "My guruji advised me to get married. He likes Renuka and thinks she's perfect for me."

So he did obey his guruji and the duo went in for the most non celeb marriage ever, far from the razzmattaz of Mumbai.

Says Renuka, "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." They wed on May 25th in Damoh in Madhya Pradesh, and returned to Mumbai on the 27th. Though the wedding itself was a simple and private affair, with only close family and friends present, but in Damoh they were treated like visiting royalty.

"We reached Damoh station on the 25th morning itself and the wedding ceremony was scheduled for 12 noon. To our surprise we found the entire station packed with a throng of people like there is in a political rally. We literally had to fight our way through to the jeep which had come to receive us. And then we stood in the jeep and waved to the crowds lining both sides of the road."

They were then taken to a newly built hotel in Damoh which they then had to inaugurate. It was already 9.30 am by then, and they had to reach the wedding mandap by 12. To add to their woes, the power supply went off, and Renuka had to get dressed and do her own make up in the sweltering May summer heat of Damoh. "I was perspiring all the way, and it had nothing to do with nervousness." The bride dressed in a traditional red, beige and gold chaniya choli, while the groom went traditional too in a beige bandhgala sherwani, with a gold turban.

Renuka's mother who was to give her away didn't reach the venue on time, so Ashutosh's sister did the honours. The ceremony was very simple and traditional and the entire wedding was organised by Rana's guruji, so Renuka has no wedding organising tips to share. What she does state, however, is
that she enjoyed the unusualness of her wedding. "I think we just sailed through the wedding like zombies," she says candidly.