Over the course of her career, Radhika Apte has heard from various people that she is brave for selecting ‘unconventional’ roles and films. It’s been close to 20 years since she began her acting journey, and the actor admits she still doesn’t understand what is unconventional about her choices. In a chat with Hindustan Times ahead of her new web series, Akka, the actor opens up on her choices and more.
‘What are these risky roles I have done?’
Akka stars Radhika alongside Keerthy Suresh. The crime drama, set in the 1980s, tells the story of Pernuru, a fictional town run by women, where Radhika’s character comes in to dismantle the hegemony of the akkas. “What I liked here is that there is no hero or villain, no bad guy. Both characters have their grey. There is a protagonist, Keerthy’s character, and I am the antagonist in her life. But there is no clear-cut good guy,” she says.
As the trailer for the show dropped, many again remarked how ‘unconventional’ Radhika’s choice was. The confused actor says, “I don’t think I have done a lot of unconventional things, but there is a branding. I keep wondering: ‘What are these risky roles I have done?”
‘I am not fighting for my face on the poster’
Radhika believes that most of her roles are the kind that most actors would take up. Yet this offbeat branding exists for her. “I find it quite confusing. The roles have not been that unconventional, but I have always been told I am doing unconventional work.” She says that her roles are ‘diverse’ as she does not want an image.
Talking about her choices, Radhika explains, “What’s probably unconventional is that I don’t care whether it’s a small part or a big part. I have done Monica O My Darling, and then tiny parts in friends’ films that I really like. That is probably unconventional that I am not fighting for my face on the poster.” Ask her if she never wanted her face on the poster, and Radhika replies with a smile, “You think that because my face is bigger on the poster, I am going to be more successful? I find that really petty.”
The actor clarifies that she is not taking anything away from the impact of publicity and marketing that benefits actors, but that kind of success is not her goal. “I am not taking away from the art of marketing or the PR strategies, here. If you feed an impression, it sticks in the world we live in. The marketing you do and the impression you feed does inform the audience. So, I’m sure the guy with the bigger face on the poster is the hero. But it’s not what I am chasing,” she adds.
About Akka
Akka also stars Tanvi Azmi, Anshumaan Pushkar, and Mahesh Manjrekar in pivotal roles. Written and directed by Dharmaraj Shetty, the show is produced by Yash Raj Films. It premieres on Netflix on October 30.