Short or full length feature, mainstream or festival film, North or South, classic or adult comedy Radhika Apte is the new constant in Indian cinema. Only yesterday she was the modern-day Ahalya, today she is Phaguniya, who inspired Manjhi to break a mountain. This weekend in Kaun Kitney Paani Main she is an agriculture graduate who knows more than a thing or two about resuscitating parched lands. Those who stick to TV can’t miss her Chokher Bali performance in Anurag Basu’s series on Epic. No wonder, quips an industry insider, she is shooting with Rajinikanth! Life for Radhika is a jolly good ride. First noticed in Shor In the City , it has taken the industry almost a decade to wake up to this powerhouse talent from Pune.
“I don’t think about it too much,” says Radhika like a seasoned pro. She doesn’t need to when her eyes can convey a million emotions. Director Nila Madhab Panda sees a new Nandita Das, a new version of Smita Patil in her. Deepa Sahi calls her a deadly talent who brings the nuance and fine texture that has been missing in female actors for a while. “The real test,” Radhika adds, “is how long it lasts and how many good projects come out of it.” She has spent enough time on the sidelines to understand the fickleness of fame, the value of nurturing hunger for 14 years on stage.
In Manjhi she picked the role, which according to sources, was first offered to Freida Pinto. Pinto didn’t find it challenging enough. For Radhika the biggest challenge was the language, the Bihari accent. “To climb the mountain in a way as if I have been doing it since childhood. Also people there are a little loud in their expressions and gestures.” Those who are familiar with her work in Marathi films like Gho Mala Asla Hava would know that she is familiar with rural characters.
She relates with romanticism of Manjhi and Phaguniya’s love. “I am a modern girl but I fall in love quickly and once I do I go deep into it. I completely relate to it.” These days, agrees Radhika, depth is a problem. “Youngsters move in and out of a relationship quickly. You can call me a little old fashioned in that sense. But I do believe in commitment. I am a complete fool when it comes to love,” says Radhika, who is married to British musician Benedict Taylor. She emphasises that being passionate doesn’t mean Phaguiya is not practical. “In fact she is as practical as Tripti in ‘Hunterr’.”
Ahalya is still being debated for its interpretation of mythology and infidelity. Some say that she is being used as mere body to seduce young men. “It is a different take. I personally feel it was her and not the husband who was the mastermind, so to speak. She was the brain behind it,” argues Radhika.
“I believe from the moment she opens the door there is a hint that you are the next one. Or they may be hunting together. Perhaps they get pleasure out of turning men into dolls. If you see the relationship between Soumitra (Chatterjee) da and me nowhere is he more dominating. It is a very equal relationship. We are telling each other off. Her phone is left behind and she says give me my phone. And the best part is, like all good works, the film is open for different interpretations.”
Be it Badlapur or Hunterr , the characters that she is essaying don’t fit into the contours of the Hindi film heroine but audience have noticed her and critics have been lavish in their praise. “It is good we are addressing real characters and are not stuck to the fictional black and white roles. It’s time we broaden our horizons,” analyses Radhika.
Hailing from a family of doctors, Radhika is a trained dancer and took a break from her acting career to learn dance in London. She didn’t wait for that big break in the Hindi film industry and picked good roles in Marathi films and then went on to work in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. “I am most comfortable in Hindi and Marathi. Tamil. Telugu, Malayalam are really difficult but I do my homework. I didn’t have a manager for a long time. If something came my way and I liked it I did it. Simple. I don’t plan.” Now she has a management but if you ask her would she like to relook at her choices, Radhika says no. “I don’t want to fit into any specific category of actors. I do what I want to do. I don’t compartmentalise. Now lines are blurring anyway.” Even in Rajinikanth’s universe? “It is an honour and I have been told that I have been picked because it is a performance-oriented role,” Radhika sums up.
