Radhika Apte, who left for London just when lockdowns started, has settled into a routine of introspection and writing
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 12, 2020)

Picnics in Regent Park, admiring bluebells in bloom and holding court with the swans, Radhika Apte’s lockdown diary on the ‘gram inspires envy. At a time when people in India, have been cooped up indoors for over two sultry months in efforts to contain the Coronavirus outbreak, the actress is out and about in London, living her best life.

“The rules are different here. We are allowed to go out, and now also to meet friends. Grocery shops are open. It’s not very different than normal life so I’m glad that I’m here,” admits Radhika, who decided to travel to the Brit capital when countries around the world had started to announce lockdowns. In fact, she was on the plane when the UK shut its borders. “I don’t panic in such situations anymore,” laughs the actress, who often travels to the Queen’s City to be with her musician-husband Benedict Taylor. Did they have anything special planned? “No, just the usual socialising and being together,” she says.

Currently on the longest break she’s got in a while, Radhika is feeling “settled enough to have a schedule and is still getting the time to think about things”. All the introspection has inspired her to spin a story. “I am an avid reader, but strangely, during the lockdown, I don’t feel like opening a book. Since there are zero distractions, it’s easier to focus on my writing,” she points out, clamming up when prodded on her story. “I don’t want to talk about it right now because I’m not even sure where it is going,” she reasons, agreeing that she might think of directing it, if she likes what she’s writing.

Apart from putting pen to paper, workouts, long walks and bicycle rides take up most of Radhika’s time. “And I’m cooking a lot,” she reveals. She’s also baking up a storm in the kitchen, as evidenced by pictures of cakes and cookies shared by her online. “Baking is not new to me and I have always shared goodies with family and friends. Now, I have the time for more elaborate recipes,” she points out.

Not one to stick to only the tried-and-tested, the actress is also learning foreign languages. “I already knew a little Spanish. Now, I’m polishing it. And because a friend gifted me a book in Greek, I have to learn that language, too, so I can read it,” she chuckles.

A seasoned traveller, Radhika is usually away from home for long periods and has taken the lockdown in her stride. The actress keeps in touch with friends on video calls and connects with her mother every day. However, she can’t wait to return home. “I miss Alphonso mangoes, but I have no idea when I will be able to return. I’m hoping by July,” she trills.

What is the first thing she’d want to do when things go back to normal? “Perhaps go to a restaurant and order a meal or maybe go to the theatres,” she muses, insisting she’d rather not think about the future, which is always uncertain. “I live in the now. Everyone has lost money, so have I. My projects have got delayed. But the whole world is suffering and that comes first,” she concludes.

The actor feels unnecessary panic can worsen the situation
Rishabh Suri (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 31, 2020)

When she’s working, all her focus is consumed by it. And with a host of projects in hand, actor Radhika Apte is set to have a busy 2020 — a film with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and more, besides making her directorial debut with the film Sleepwalkers. However, when not tied up with work, the 34-year-old usually heads to London, UK, where she’s stationed currently. “I live here too, I have a house. I prefer to be in London when I am not working,” she says.

The Coronavirus-19 pandemic has shut down most of the world, with India locked down till April 14.

Ask Apte what’s the situation like in London, where she is with her husband, musician Benedict Taylor, she shares, “It’s the same, completely locked down. People are panicking and supermarkets are quite empty. We are not in a food crisis, so it’s really a shame. A friend of mine told me from Goa (India) that there’s no food there. I think we need to be vigilant about it. If we start behaving like this, a lot of people will suffer. Nothing here is open apart from pharmacies and supermarkets. You are allowed to go and exercise, so I go for running.”

We further mention to Apte how the entertainment industry is going to be affected, with all film and TV/web show shoots put on hold due to the lockdown. She says more than that, it’s the daily wage and salaried workers we need to worry about currently.

“We are still in a far better condition, we are all in a business where most people have savings. It’s the majority of the Indian population we need to worry about. A lot of people, daily wagers, are losing their jobs. There’s only one message I want to give to people: donate, this is the time. It’s really not a lot one needs to donate and there are so many platforms. Also, please don’t hoard food, there’s no shortage. It’s damaging for others,” appeals Apte, also requesting people to “not sack people you can afford to keep — house helps, drivers.”

She might be relaxing now after working back-to-back, however juggling such a variety of projects must be quite hectic for Apte. “Not really,” pat comes the reply, “You do one thing at a time, all my work mentioned is done. Also, it isn’t as if I ‘finally’ ventured into direction, or anything. I was writing something, and felt like making it, it wasn’t a conscious decision that ‘Now I will direct’. Fortunately, we got the money to make it, I found good people to collaborate with. The shoot was a brief process.”

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?

The background and music composers of Ghoul and Stree discuss the challenge of composing for creepy scripts
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; August 27,2018)

It's almost discomforting to visualise the picture that Ghoul background score composers Naren Chandavarkar (left) and Benedict Taylor (down; right) paint, when describing the lassitude of the environment that inspired their work. Having worked on Netflix's latest Indian offering - the horror that stars Radhika Apte at its front - Chandavarkar says the brief given to them from the onset was to focus on building an environment, instead of resorting to jump scares to keep the tension up.

"A large part of the series is set in an underground bunker with no daylight and no sense of time. We were keen to create that claustrophobia and disquiet, with the score ticking away like some sort of a morbid heartbeat. There had to be the sense of impending doom and alarm."

As Taylor asserts that the "zone, pace, rhythm and mood" are kept at the fore when composing for a horror, it is evident by the duo's choice of words that a marked element of tenebrosity is up on offer. "Using scratchy synthetic sirens and martial drums, we created motivic elements. A siren like motif was created when we ran a synthesiser into a bizarrely fast tremolo, which resulted in a mosquito like, scratchy distorted buzz. We played with that pitch to create a rising, ominous and queasy sound. There's also [an element of] mythology [in the show], explaining the world of Ghoul, and the ancient Aramaic chants to summon it. We played with strange vocal techniques to arrive at a sound that worked for it," reveals Chandavarkar, adding that even Taylor's vocals were modulated for use in the score.

Interestingly, while a dystopian set-up is made evident owing to the methodology that the duo employed, another set of music composers, Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya (below) reveal that composing songs for a horror venture is starkly different from creating its score. The minds behind the soundtrack of Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer Stree, the composers point to the commercial angle of filmmaking that comes into play, which can even overpower the demands of the genre they are tackling.

"Music is the first part of the film that viewers are exposed to, and hence must be the defining factor that draws them to theatres," says Sanghvi. He adds that since they knew they needed to create tracks that could be played at discotheques and parties, they decided to tackle the theme of horror via the lyrics, not the music. "Having said that, we had to be certain that the songs could carry distinct contexts when seen in the film, and as solo numbers.

For instance, the lyrics of the song Milegi Milegi, which read: "Tujhe bhi milegi, mujhe bhi milegi", refer to the [paranormal] character in the film, but can easily allude to a lover a man seeks, when heard outside the theatre," Sanghvi adds. Having jetted off to Dubai to give their undivided attention to the creation of this soundtrack, the duo asserts that the commercial approach was essential since they had to draw viewers to watch the film featuring "young stars". "This is not a Shah Rukh Khan film where the music can be the secondary aspect. The songs had to serve as promotional material," Saraiya admits.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 17, 2017)

Radhika Apte on the furore over her nude scene being leaked, and hubby Benedict’s support through it
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 21, 2016)

Radhika Apte has been in the news more for the leak of her nude scene in Parched than for her performance. One would assume she is seething with rage at an irrelevant slice of the film taking the focus away from the issues at its core. But when hitlist caught up with her, she was surprisingly nonchalant. “I didn’t react when it happened. You can actually find any nude scene of any film on YouTube. I did the film, didn’t I? I want everybody to watch the movie. I was never under the impression that I should do the film but it shouldn’t be shown openly. That would be prudish, right?”

With statements like ‘nude scenes can be liberating’, she has earned the reputation of bold. But she says that she isn’t trying to be groundbreaking. “If I were one bit worried, I would be diplomatic, measured with my words. What others look upon as bold is just who I really am. I can’t fake it and I don’t want to have double standards,” she adds.

Supportive husband
For a married woman, it could be difficult but for Radhika, her violinist husband Benedict Taylor is her support system. “When he watches my films, he doesn’t respond as a husband, he responds as a viewer. Every person has a point of view. Sometimes, he likes what I do, sometimes he doesn’t. As a husband, he doesn’t really have a say. I don’t really have to take anybody’s permission to decide what I work on. He (Benedict) is one of the most liberal men I have met. He encourages me to break boundaries. This kind of support from the whole family helps. You don’t have another battle to fight at home at least. But, support is irrelevant, in the end. Not everyone has family backing. It is good to have it but if you don’t, you can still make it all by yourself.”

Mainstream ambition
She’s known for parallel cinema, but has no qualms about dancing and singing onscreen. She says, “I did Lai Bhaari which was a masala flick. I love dancing and I like good, peppy music. But the film should offer something enticing. I don’t want to be reduced to a small role that has no scope for performance. Luckily, mainstream films are becoming content-rich. I never had a plan for a career but I can’t bring myself to do movies that I don’t enjoy watching.”

Actress Radhika Apte recalls her many adventures, from Budapest to Zanzibar
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 28, 2015)

Radhika Apte has just returned from a much needed vacation in the Himalayas with her musician husband, Benedict Taylor. And along with a sense of awe inspired by the majestic mountains, she also feels a niggling sense of disappointment.

The actress hiked from Raibareli to Kausani, through the Valley of Flowers to Hemkund and then on to Badrinath, Mannar and Rishikesh. Apte was shocked to see the high levels of pollution in the religious shrines. "Doesn't religion teach you about hygiene and cleanliness?" she asks. "There were plastic bottles lying everywhere, even on glaciers at 45,000 feet. Ashrams have turned into resorts. There are a lot more people and a lot less quiet."

Apte had visited Joshimath and Badrinath, then travelled up north as a child. The memories are cloudy. The family friends she'd gone with insisted that a lot has changed. She wanted to revisit some of these places and see for herself. It was as much a trip down memory lane as a recce of sorts for an under-the-wraps project. She's returned rejuvenated but also somewhat disheartened by the human erosion of picture-perfect nature.

Wanderlust bit Apte early. Her mother shares her love for travelling and they have gone trekking in Kashmir, Himachal, and Uttaranchal together. She's also travelled through Rajasthan extensively and still has vivid memories of the many hues of the Pink City. She remembers watching the solar eclipse in the deserts of Jaisalmer through makeshift glasses in the '90s.

"I remember there was a magician travelling with us who'd keep us entertained. One trick was getting us to write the name of our favourite sweet on a piece of paper which he'd fold, say the hocus pocus mantra, then ask us to unfold and lick. It always tasted like the rasgullas, gulab jamuns and laddoos we were craving for. It was only later that he revealed that the paper was dusted with sugar powder and he was using human psychology to trick us into believing that we'd got the mithai of our choice," Apte chuckles.

She recalls another trip, in her teens, to a repertory in Mussoorie where a friend taught. From there, she headed to Dalhousie and then to Manali on a "deluxe bus".

"Once on the bus, I realised that the seats were soaking wet. I pointed it out to the conductor who smiled and said that he'd just washed them," narrates Apte, who tore up a cardboard box holding bottled water to line her wet seat.

But a more pressing problem was her neighbour who dozed off, and kept dropping his head on her shoulder. Sleep-deprived, she decided to shift to seat next to the driver. He was an elderly, paternal sardar who got off midway, urged her to skip Manali and go home with him.

Despite the shocking proposition, Apte braved an overnight journey on a state transport bus where she was the only female passenger. "I don't know if I'd be as brave or as naive today," she admits with a laugh, adding that she can't forget the yummy rajma chawal she had at the dhabha where the bus stopped for dinner.

Soon after high school, the 19-year-old with wandering feet decided to backpack through Europe by herself. It didn't matter that having been to a Marathi medium school in Pune, her English wasn't too fluent or that she had never been abroad.

Just like Kangana Ranaut's character in Queen, Apte went to Amsterdam and visited the sex shops, attended live performances and even befriended a showgirl who'd discovered that she was partially of Indian descent.

Then, she was off to France via Luxembourg. Stepping out of the Gare du Nord railway station in Paris — where she ducked into a shop to call her friend who was supposed to meet her — Apte had her first brush with racism. "The lady inside was livid when I told her I couldn't speak French. Snatching the receipt from me, she pointed me to the door warning me not to enter her shop again," recounts Apte.

Later, when her friend arrived, he found her sobbing on the phone. He wiped her tears and convinced her that the French weren't all that bad. "I even stayed for 10 days in a studio apartment housing film school students. Being with them was such a revelation."

Since she didn't want to borrow money from her parents and because theatre didn't pay much, she had to rough it out or hope to sign a film which would take her to picturesque locations. "I did Shor In the City because I needed Rs 45,000 to go to Zanzibar for a theatre festival. They paid me Rs 60,000," she reminisces.

Another trip to Colombo with Sri Lankan dancer friends changed the course of her life. Apte quit theatre, left Pune and moved to London to learn contemporary dance.

In Edinburgh, she met a 92-year-old who was conducting the Buena Vista Tour. From there, it was on to the Scottish isles where she met her husband Benedict, a British musician who has composed the score for the recently-released film Killa. He spent a year in South Africa shuttling from one farm to the next, working in the fields to afford a living. "Some day, may be I can do that too," she smiles.

Among her many adventures, Apte has chased a bus all the way to its next stop in Italy with a friend, schooled in Kallari in Kerala and spent evenings on the beach eating freshly-caught fish. In Egypt, she befriended four brothers who lived by the pyramids and sold jewellery and carvings which they made themselves. "One of them knew all about me, my life, and could even recite my favourite poem. It was spookily romantic," she giggles.

Friends come easy to the girl with a bright smile. She remembers reaching Budapest — after changing four trains — and then being unable to locate the address of the Hungarian director who wanted to cast her.

Unfazed, she went to a nearby cafe, struck up a friendship with the owner and ended up spending five days with him and his theatre friends, exploring the city. "I finally located the lady I'd come to meet. Her film never got made but I ended up making several new friends whom I'd like to revisit someday," she says.

For the past two years, all the travelling she's been doing has been for work. That's no fun for Apte because the itinerary is planned, she stays in five-stars and is driven around in air-conditioned cars. "It's all so touristy. And as Paul Theroux once said, 'Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they are going," smiles the actress who loves to travel.

Radhika Apte (DNA; March 28, 2015)


For an actress who has worked in films in seven languages, Radhika has a hunger to excel in unexpected roles. “I cannot see myself just looking pretty and dancing. I am sure that requires a helluva lot of discipline and hard work. But I’d rather channelise my energy to do something different, like I did in Badlapur and Hunterr.”

In Hunterr Radhika’s character had a murky past. “We are living at a time when women are not expected to be sati savtiris. My character in Hunterrr had a relationship and an abortion. This is a relatable person. I don’t know any friend of mine who hasn’t had sex before marriage,” she explains. And her quest for real characters continues. Says the actress, “I don’t care what the language of the cinema is, as long as it has a connect with real life. I am doing Leena Yadav’s Parched set in Rajasthan. I am also doing The Field about the Delhi mafia where my co-star is Neeraj Kabi (the monk in Ship Of Theseus). Then there is Mountain Man, the biopic on Dashrath Manjhi with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, which Ketan Mehta has directed. I got to play a Bihari rustic woman for the first time.” Radhika is also doing a couple of short films, one directed by Pia Sukanya called Bombairiya, another one by Sujoy Ghosh and a short film by Anurag Kashyap on forbidden love.

Radhika, who is married to a British musician, Benedict Taylor, is very clear about her views on nudity in cinema. “I have done a nude scene for an English film. In fact, I wrote an article about how strongly I felt on the subject of nudity. At the same time, I wouldn’t allow my personal space to be violated by any intrusive attention. Some time ago, somebody had posted a nude selfie on the internet claiming it was me. The girl didn’t even look like me. And the controversy died a natural death.”

Radhika adds, “I am here because I am passionate about acting. Just after I was noticed in Shor In The City, I left for London to study contemporary dancing. I came back feeling more empowered. I grew up idolising Aamir Khan. I had a poster of his in my room. Every day I said bye to it before going to school. I want to create a similar sense of self-worth in my career.”