Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; January 17, 2019)

Slowly but steadily, Radhika Apte has cemented her spot in the world of movies. In 2018 alone, she had three bigticket releases — PadMan, AndhaDhun and Baazaar. But she reveals that a calendar full of releases isn’t her ideal year. She would rather spend time shooting for films than promoting them and seeing them release. Perhaps that’s why she has no qualms about working in small, but promising movies like Bombairiya, which releases this week. In a conversation with BT, the actress talks about walking the path of showbiz differently. Excerpts from a freewheeling chat…

You play a film publicist in Bombairiya, that’s a character you must have been familiar with from your day-to-day life. Did playing this role give you a new perspective on the world of promotions and PR?
I work with film publicists every day, but you view their job and life from your own perspective. But having played one in a film, I now have a point of view from their end. I realised that to be a PR, you just have to do certain things to get things done. It’s basically about dealing with a lot of egos and getting people to do things that they don't want to do.

The film highlights the frantic life of Mumbai and its citizens. Since you relocated from Pune, having once viewed the city of dreams and ambitions from the prism of an outsider, how has your perception changed about the city?
I feel the title of the movie is quite appropriate because the word ‘bairiya’ describes a place like Mumbai very well. People migrate to this city for work and to realise their dreams. It’s basically a place full of different energies coming together. Even though the city is such a chaotic place, it gives you a lot. Life in a place like Mumbai can be quite frenetic and demanding, but the fact that people extend so much warmth and compassion towards strangers also makes it very interesting. For me, the strongest connections with the city are because of my friends and work. That’s what draws me to Mumbai, the most.

When you work in a relatively small-budget film like Bombairiya,does that give you more creative freedom and satisfaction?
I shot for Bombairiya almost three years ago. Again, the budget or scale of a film should not make a difference to an actor; you have to put the same effort in every movie, regardless of the production scale. I enjoy being involved in the creative process and I am happy as long as my role and the story are exciting. This year, too, I will start work on a small film, but it has a superb script and characters. That's all that matters to me.

Slowly but surely, you have carved a niche for yourself in commercial cinema. Not just Bollywood, you’ve also had the chance to play strong characters in South films. How does it feel to be acknowledged as an acclaimed and sought-after actor?
I’ve had a hectic, but very memorable 2018 and I am really grateful for films like Pad Man, AndhaDhun and Baazaar. It obviously feels greats to receive the appreciation and the success for your hard work, but I am someone who likes to look ahead instead of looking back. Instead of dwelling on the past, I would rather look forward to the coming months and my upcoming releases. Unfortunately for me, I spent the major part of 2018 engaging in film publicity rather than doing good work.

While you’ve worked in several movies off late, do you feel that you are being offered too many supporting roles? Would you prefer to work in films where you have more prominent roles?
The length of the role doesn’t really matter, what matters is how much you connect with your character and how engaging you find the story to be. In a film like AndhaDhun, the story centres around Ayushmann Khurrana and Tabu’s characters, so I can’t expect my role to be longer. But I must add that I am not satisfied working in a film for just five, ten or fifteen days. I really enjoy the process of working on a role and telling a story, so, I want to work on many more films and want to be able to dedicate more time to work on my characters. I just want to keep working on good stories, challenging roles and make money, too (laughs!).

Part of being a movie star means that you have to cater to the media glaze and be in public eye. Do you find the process of promotions a bit tedious?
I don't enjoy film promotions at all. I have to do them, but I can’t lie. It’s not a process that I look forward to at all. I would rather spend that much time and energy fleshing out a character and working on my performance in a film. Having said that, when I am on a holiday, I don’t like to think about work. I prefer to do things at their designated time.

You’ve been married to film musician, Benedict Taylor, since 2013. Do you feel the perception towards married actresses still matters in the film industry?
I don’t think marriage has anything to do with my work. Being married doesn’t really affect a woman’s career at all. The world knows that I am married. I feel that my marital status has no bearing on the kind of work that I am offered.

How much do friendships and connections matter in the film industry? Does striking a chord with your director help with getting opportunities in the future, too?
I have had the opportunity to work with some fantastic filmmakers like Sriram Raghavan and R Balki, so I don’t mind exploiting those connections and getting more work in the future. I work in the film industry for creative satisfaction, probably more than for the money and commercial acclaim. So, if establishing connections with these fabulous storytellers results in better work in the future, why not?