I’m not analysing my career right now: Radhika Apte

With a repertoire of films such as Badlapur (2015), Hunterrr (2015), Manjhi: The Mountain Man (2015), Parched (2016), and the YouTube short Ahalya (2015), actor Radhika Apte has become a name to reckon with. Basking in the success of her recent release, the Akshay Kumar-starrer Pad Man, she now wants to wait and “see what’s out there”, and hasn’t signed a new film yet.

Talking about her career, Radhika says, “Success or failure, both are a part of your life, which you have to face. You’re constantly going through ups and downs. I haven’t faced any major successes or failures in my life yet. I’ve dealt with decent successes and okay kinda failures. Pad Man is the only big success in my career so far.” And what impact has it had on her career?

She says, “Honestly, I’m not analysing my career right now. I’m not somebody who plans a lot. Currently, I’m only looking for more work, especially the kind that interests me. I’m not signing anything immediately after Pad Man. I’m going to wait and see what comes next and which direction my career can take. I want to bring something fresh to the table.”

The actor finds her co-star Akshay “versatile”. In fact, she is no less than amazed by his career graph and choice of movies. She says, “Look at his trajectory. The work he has done and the changes he brought about in his career. It is commendable. After working with him, I realised that everything I’ve heard about him is true. I really admire that he’s so professional, hard-working, and disciplined.” She knew Pad Man would work, says Radhika, “not just because it’s an Akshay Kumar film or is directed by Balki”. She believes “it worked because of the subject and the way it has been handled — it’s an entertaining film that doesn’t make you cringe even if you have reservations about the subject”. About her criteria for choosing a film, she says, “It should excite me. It should make me feel that I can’t wait to do it. That excitement can be about the character, the director, or the film in totality.” And money? “Sometimes, when you’re broke, you do films for money.” On that subject, the actor says she’s aware of the gender pay gap in Bollywood, but believes that the fight for parity should happen in every sector. In Bollywood, “Alisters are getting what (fee) they deserve. But it needs to reach every level,” says Radhika.

Pad Man is the only big success in my career so far... I am going to wait and see what comes next... I want to bring something fresh to the table. RADHIKA APTE ACTOR