On the surface, Radhika Apte’s character in Monica O My Darling is amusingly unpredictable, eccentric even. But scratch the surface, and you notice that her ACP Vijayashanti Naidu shares similarities with Rajkummar Rao’s protagonist — each stopping at nothing to climb through the ranks in the dog-eat-dog world. In the Netflix film’s morally dubious setting, Apte’s character is deliciously corrupt. The actor may have been initially reluctant about stepping into the role, but director Vasan Bala’s faith and her spontaneity have made her the scene-stealer of the neo-noir thriller.   

“It’s nerve-racking until you find the character’s [rhythm]. The first few days, I wondered, ‘Will I be able to do this? Is this sounding funny?’ It’s difficult to be funny on screen,” she says. Her self-doubt doesn’t show on screen.

Instead, we get a hilarious oddball cop, who laughs in the middle of a serious interrogation, or has a witty one-liner up her sleeve. Apte says she was able to pull off these quirks thanks to co-star Rao. “Raj is a generous actor. That laughter or smile came because of him. If he didn’t look that terrified, I wouldn’t have laughed. So, we fed off each other’s [creative instincts].”

Her character’s unabashed dishonesty sparked dual feelings in the actor. While Apte was apprehensive about pulling off the remorseless act in a light-handed manner, it was also “liberating” to play an out-and-out devious woman.

“Naidu is not just corrupt, but also shameless. She has no remorse or regret. It’s almost the opposite of who I am. I am remorseful even for things that I haven’t done wrong. It is liberating and relaxing because you never experience that side of yours,” laughs the actor, adding that Naidu’s wickedness also challenges filmmakers’ love for holier-than-thou women.

“How many women we know around us are absolute thieves! We live in a world where gender doesn’t dictate morality. The truth is everyone is looking out for themselves.”