Radhika Apte as Anjali Mathur, the no-nonsense intelligence officer

Tell us about your character?

I play Anjali Mathur, who’s a Raw agent [intelligence officer], which stands for Research & Analysis. I didn’t know much about Raw agents because there isn’t much information available. We have developed Anjali into the completely no-nonsense, focused woman who’s highly respected in her field and by her peers. She’s very sharp, brave and intuitive. She wants to be a field agent, just like her father. But her seniors want her to work behind the desk. So that’s a constant struggle, but she gets pulled into the Ganesh Gaitonde case and meets Sartaj. It’s how their collaboration begins. Sacred Games is a beautiful ensemble where you can empathise with every flawed character.

There’s a scene where you take on a male colleague for being sexist when he tells you that you belong to the desk, rather than the field. Do you think Sacred Games tackles issues that today’s working women face?

This has been an issue that women have been facing for the longest time. When I am performing, it’s more about my character. But it’s relatable on every level. Plus, what’s challenging was that because she was so no-nonsense, what she does is minimal but with every little bit she does she has to convey a lot. To maintain that balance was a tricky one.

Bollywood tends to glamorise RAW agents, but Sacred Games refrains from doing so. Was that liberating?

Everyone was expecting Sacred Games to be badass and with women having fancy guns and heels. We played her extremely real. When you are a Raw agent you cannot attract attention. They cannot wear clothes that are loud or wear bangles that will attract a flash light.

You have done a variety of roles in Hindi cinema, despite being an outsider

…

I don’t like the words ‘outsider’ and ‘insider’. It’s just a journey and I am just in the beginning of it. I am sure there’s lots to do. I choose the paths that I relate to. There’s no strategy.

A Netflix series isn’t subject to strict censorship rules like a Hindi film. Was that a relief?

It was liberating as an actor, not because you are allowed to say a few words that censors wouldn’t allow. But I am against censorship, particularly the way it exists. It liberates you in terms of your body language and the way you think. You can go in whichever direction you want to go in and that makes you feel free and able to express.