Ahalya has subtle sensuality: Apte

As the young wife of an aging artist, Radhika Apte (left) brought an understated sensuality to her role in Sujoy Ghosh’s latest short film Ahalya, which is the filmmaker’s feminist take on the famous mythological story.

She liked the fact that despite being a femme fatale, her character had a certain innocence about it. “It was a unique character of a seductress and yet so simple. There was nothing flashy about it. It was very subtle. The experimentation with the look was also like that, the way she walks and sits... I am happy it has paid off,” says Apte

The actor, who has been getting rave reviews from the audience and the critics for the 14-minute-long film, said that it was a wish come true to work with the filmmaker and share screen space with veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee again. “The two foremost reasons for me to do Ahalya were Sujoy, who is a fantastic storyteller and a great filmmaker and Soumitra da, with whom I had worked previously on a Bengali film. I couldn’t believe I was getting to work with him again. I’m a big fan of his.”

For Apte, playing Ahalya was not difficult as Sujoy helped her to get the nuances right. “He guided me through it all quite unknowingly. It did not feel like I was making any major effort to do anything. The transformation and the look also contributed a lot,” she says, adding, “Working with Soumitra da and Tota (Roy Chowdhury) added to it. Soumitra da is so charming and effortless that when you are opposite him, you immediately get relaxed. It was wonderful.”

The movie, which hit the internet on Tuesday, is getting rave reviews for its modern take on the age-old myth of Ahalya, the wife of sage Gautama Maharishi, who was seduced by Indra and cursed by her husband for infidelity.

Radhika is now looking forward to the release of her two upcoming films, Ketan Mehta’s film and a Kunal Kapoor-starrer.

PHOTO: IANS