Multilingual actor Radhika Apte who’s made a name for herself across Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu cinema among others, made waves yet again for her role as Tripti in the recent Hindi film Hunterrr .
In Bengaluru to promote the film at Inox theatre, the actor, who started her filmi career in 2005 with Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi! had a quick chat with MetroPlus. In Hunterrr she plays Tripti, the foil to sex addict Mandar Ponkshe.
Is this one of the boldest roles you’ve done?
No, it’s not my boldest role. Nothing is very bold in this movie. It’s about a regular thing we go through in daily life. Hunterrr has spunk. The good thing about the film is that different points of view — the filmmaker, Mandar’s and the three womens’ are all there. It is a regular film. We didn’t have to cut anything.
Despite that, it still comes across as a “guy” film, more from a man’s POV?
No. Because at the end, Mandar becomes a person who does not know what to do, and it is the woman who takes the decision. It is the woman who gives him…. I hate to say it …“direction”!
Is Tripti an accurate portrayal of today’s contemporary woman?
Accurate compared to what? It is essentially about a boy and his coming-of-age story. But the kind of women portrayed are many – every one goes through the phase of being the girl who’s dumped in her first love. You also have the person who is not bothered, who is sorted in her head, and the married woman with a child who wants an affair. They are all real women. I know many Triptis.
Why do you think people are so curious about sex still?
Our society in a lot of ways is still regressive. Sex is still taboo and a hush-hush subject. It’s talked about among friends but it’s still not something you talk about openly. So it sells…the moment things become a big deal, they do!
Considering you’ve done films in almost all south Indian languages, why haven’t you done any Kannada films?
I’ve been offered a few but they’re not very exciting. I’m open to them, though.
What films are you working on next?
I am doing three Hindi films – Manjhi: The Mountain Man, Kaun Kitne Paani Mein, and Parched . I’m also doing a couple of short films and Bombairiya , an Indo-British collaboration.
