- Radhika Apte says past intimate roles led to assumptions about her boundaries.
- She questioned the purpose of an action scene that required minimal clothing.
- She says filmmakers sometimes offered vague explanations for intimate moments.
- Lust Stories 3 is also examining female desire and intimacy.
- Director Vikramaditya Motwane says women helped shape his approach to the subject.
Radhika Apte’s latest comments are not just about one strange request on a film set. They raise a larger question about the way female sexuality is created, discussed, and ultimately presented in Indian cinema.
The actor has recalled being treated differently after appearing in films that required nudity or intimate scenes. According to Apte, some people in the industry began assuming that because she had agreed to such scenes before, she would automatically agree to them again.
She described one instance in which she was asked to perform an action sequence in a bra and underwear. Her response was simple: why was that necessary for an action scene?
“There was a set where they were like, ‘Can you do an action sequence? What if you don't put the buttons on?' I said, ‘It's an action sequence, so they move, right? The shirt. Basic physics.' ‘What if you do just with a bra and underwear?' I was like, ‘What are we trying to achieve?'”
She ultimately refused.
From consent to creative purpose
The interesting part of Apte’s account is not simply that she said no. It is that she wanted an explanation.
She recalled being asked to kiss co-stars without understanding why the moment was required. When she questioned the purpose, she said the responses could be vague — essentially suggesting that a little kissing or improvisation could simply be added to a scene.
That distinction matters. Apte is not arguing that intimate scenes should disappear from films. Her own career includes projects involving nudity and sexuality. Instead, her comments point toward a more fundamental question: does the scene belong to the story, or is the actor's body being treated as an available cinematic shortcut?
That is where her comments connect unexpectedly with Lust Stories 3.
The timing with Lust Stories 3 is significant
The Netflix anthology, released September 18, explores desire, intimacy, relationships and marriage through four filmmakers: Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj. Apte appears in Motwane's segment alongside Konkona Sen Sharma.
Motwane has spoken about being careful not to assume that a male filmmaker automatically understands female desire. He said he sought perspectives from women during the process, including Apte and Konkona, as he developed his segment.
That creates a striking contrast with the experience Apte describes from another production.
In one situation, she says she was expected to accept an intimate visual simply because she had done similar work before. In another, the filmmaking process around female desire involved deliberately asking women for their perspectives.
Why Apte’s question matters
Apte has previously spoken about how women are represented in cinema and how familiar ideas about romance can shape expectations. Her latest comments extend that conversation from what audiences see on screen to what happens before the camera even starts rolling.
Her argument is ultimately about context. A nude or intimate scene can be part of a character's story. But, as Apte's experience suggests, the fact that an actor has previously crossed that boundary does not mean the boundary disappears.
Her question, “What are we trying to achieve?, ”Therefore becomes bigger than one action sequence.
It asks filmmakers to explain not only what they want to show, but why they need to show it.
