Radhika Madan reunites with family; remembers screen dad Irrfan Khan
Akash Bhatnagar (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 8, 2020)

On May 26, wearing protective gear, including mask and gloves, Radhika Madan left Mumbai for Delhi after spending almost two months in isolation. The journey was different, but as she points out, it’s the new normal now, with temperature checks and sanitisation measures, shields to be worn over masks with a kind of magnifying glass-like mechanism to check your ID and boarding pass and ensure zero physical contact. Getting back to her hometown, she asserts, “feels like I’m back to normalcy after the end of an apocalypse,” though she voluntarily quarantined herself for 14 days.

Happy to be back with her family in the midst of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the actress is careful not to attract any negative thoughts. “But God forbid, if something was to happen, I would want to be close to my loved ones,” she says fervently, adding that she managed to stay productive through the uncertainties of the lockdown by learning how to play the piano and tap dancing, taking an online acting course and cooking.

Radhika celebrated her 25th birthday on May 1. A month later, it remains a rather emotional day. “Since Irrfan (Khan, Angrezi Medium co-star) sir had passed away only a few days before my birthday, I didn’t feel like doing anything. But some of my friends, including Sanya (Malhotra, Pataakha co-star), Vishal (Bhardwaj, Pataakha director) sir, Vasan (Bala, who directed her in Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota) sir and Abhimanyu (Dassani, MKDNH co-star) made a video and had a cake delivered to my house. That made me smile and I felt special,” she reminisces, pointing out that it was her first virtual party.

Angrezi Medium released on March 13. A day later, cinema halls were closed across Maharashtra, a nation-wide shutdown followed soon after, quashing all prospects of a theatrical run for the film. But Radhika has no complaints. “What happened was beyond our control and way bigger than individual interests. We made the film to entertain and so, we decided to release it digitally within a month. The response was overwhelming,” she exults.

Bring up the subject of Irrfan and Radhika admits she would observe him on the sets every day “like a hawk”. Describing it as a great learning exercise, she says, “Now, I want to carry forward Irrfan sir’s legacy of doing content-driven cinema. I came on board Angrezi Medium with the pre-conceived notion that ‘Irrfan Khan, the international star’ would have instructions for me for every scene. But he shattered it by asking for my input on the very first day. The respect he gave me was freeing.”

Radhika’s next release is the Dinesh Vijan and Bhushan Kumar production, Shiddat, directed by Kunal Deshmukh. It also features Mohit Raina, Diana Penty and Sunny Kaushal and wrapped up before the lockdown was enforced. “I play a swimmer in this love story, which is a new genre for me,” she concludes.

Radhika Madan on her co-star in Homi Adajania’s next and celebrating her 24th b’day today with Irrfan Khan and the team
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 1, 2019)

After Vishal Bhardwaj’s Patakhaa and Vasan Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, Radhika Madan will be seen in Homi Adajania’s Angrezi Medium as leading man Irrfan Khan’s daughter. Today, she turns 24 and will ring in her birthday on the film’s set in Udaipur.

Speaking to Mirror from the location, the actress says that she didn’t have enough time to plan the day because of the shoot. “But my family and friends have come down from Delhi and we will celebrate on the set with the cast and crew. I’m completing the last of my portions in this schedule, so after this, I’ll take some time off to explore the place,” she informs, adding that also on her agenda are five vegan birthday cakes and three brownies that she intends to demolish after wrapping up work.

Incidentally, last year had also been a working birthday for the actress in Udaipur as she was shooting for Patakhaa. “I had prayed that every year I get to celebrate my birthday on a different set but now I think there’s some special connection with Udaipur. This time, it was tough for me to play a different character as for me, the place was associated with Badki (her character in Patakhaa),” she explains.

But it is a thrill to work with a “dream team”, she insists. “Irrfan sir, Kareena (Kapoor) and Homi… It hasn’t sunk in yet, but I want it to be that way otherwise I won’t be able to perform. Every actor has Irrfan on their wish-list of co-stars and my dream is coming true so early in my career. He is the God of acting. There’s so much to learn by observing him. I haven’t met Kareena yet, but I may faint when I do,” Radhika gushes.

She goes on to add that the Udaipur schedule wraps up today. “After this, we will shoot in Mumbai for three days and head to London in June.”