Highlights
- Radhika Apte recalled one of the most challenging roles of her career, which required her character to marry her maternal uncle.
- The actor said she struggled with the patriarchal setting and having to romance a much older co-star.
- Apte also recently criticized colorism in the south Indian film industry and questioned the casting of north Indian actresses based on their fair skin.
Actor Radhika Apte has opened up about an uncomfortable experience while working on a Telugu film, revealing that her character was required to marry her maternal uncle.
During a recent interview with Zoom while promoting her Netflix series Akka, alongside co-star Keerthy Suresh, Apte was asked about the most challenging role she had played.
Recalling the Telugu film, she said, “There was a Telugu film I did where I had to marry my mama (maternal uncle). That was the most challenging role. Everything about it, I hated.”
Keerthy initially appeared surprised before explaining to the host that marriage between cousins and certain maternal relatives is a traditional practice in parts of Tamil and Telugu communities.
Apte, however, clarified that it was not just the storyline that made the role difficult. The age difference between her character and the older actor playing her on-screen uncle also made her uncomfortable.
Radhika Apte on romancing a much older actor
Explaining why the experience was particularly difficult, Apte said, “Yeah, but also, like, I had to romance a much older actor. It’s a very patriarchal situation and place. For me, that was the toughest thing.”
She also recalled a scene in which her character dies midway through the film. Describing the sequence, she said the actor had to throw her over his shoulder before continuing with the action.
Apte joked about waiting for her character's death scene, saying, “I was like, when am I going to die?”
The actor did not name the film during the interview, but she has appeared in four Telugu films, including two alongside Nandamuri Balakrishna.
Radhika Apte criticizes colorism in south Indian cinema
In another recent interview with Galatta, Apte spoke about colorism in the south Indian film industry.
She questioned the casting of north Indian actresses in south Indian films, suggesting that fair skin was a factor behind those choices.
“I think the reason a lot of North Indian actresses were cast was because they were fair-skinned, and I find it appalling,” she said.
Apte made her Telugu debut in 2010 with Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakta Charitra films, which were also released in Hindi. She later appeared in Dhoni (2012), a Tamil film that was also released in Telugu.
She worked with Balakrishna in Legend (2014) and reunited with him for Lion (2015). The latter remains her most recent Telugu film.
On the work front, Apte was most recently seen in the Netflix series Akka, alongside Keerthy Suresh.
