Radhika Apte has opened up about the bizarre and deeply gendered assumptions she says she faced after taking on bold roles early in her career. In a candid recent interview, the actor said that once she had done scenes involving nudity, some filmmakers began treating her boundaries as negotiable, leading to requests she found absurd, including being asked to perform an action scene in her innerwear.
Radhika Apte On The Pressure To Comply
Speaking about the way parts of the industry reacted to her earlier work, Radhika said, “In the beginning, I had done about four or five films where I was entirely nude. A lot of people used to think, ‘Yeh toh karlegi na (She will do).’” She said she had to push back firmly when such expectations surfaced on sets.
Radhika added, “So, I have to tell them, ‘Listen, I actually will not do it.’ Because I’ve done it now, I know even more, and I want to ask, ‘Why do you want it? Why do you want me to kiss him right now?’ They say, ‘Karlo na thoda (Please do a little bit).’ This is the answer I get from a lot of people. You would be surprised. ‘Just a little kissing, you know, 15 seconds of improvisation.’ I said, ‘Sorry, what?’”
What makes her account hit hard is the clarity with which she distinguishes between a scene that serves a story and one that exists only to satisfy somebody else’s impulse. Her comments cut to a long-running issue in the industry, where female actors are often expected to justify saying no far more than anyone should have to.
The Action Scene Request That Left Her Stunned
Among the most striking anecdotes Radhika shared was one from an action setup, where she said the conversation quickly veered into the unreasonable. Recalling the moment, she said, “There was a set where they were like, ‘Can you do this action sequence? What if you don’t put the buttons on?’ I said, ‘It’s an action sequence. Then the shirt will move na, right? Basic physics.’ They were like, ‘What if you do it with just the bra and underwear?’ I was like, ‘What are you trying to make me do?’”
The episode captures exactly why her remarks are resonating. Radhika is not talking about discomfort with bold material itself. She is talking about consent, context, and the casual way unnecessary demands can be framed as normal on a film set.
Radhika Apte’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Radhika was most recently seen in Sister Midnight, the dark comedy directed by Karan Kandhari that premiered in 2024 and released in India in May 2025. She also featured in Mrs Undercover in 2023, a spy comedy that premiered on ZEE5, and remained part of the conversation around streaming-led Hindi films after Monica, O My Darling on Netflix in 2022.
Her screen choices in recent years have continued to reflect the same unpredictability that made her stand out in the first place, moving between edgy independent material and mainstream digital releases. IMDb also lists Lust Stories 3 among her announced projects, making it one of the titles to watch in her upcoming slate.
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