‘PANDEMIC MADE ME REALISE THAT THIS INDUSTRY IS NOT BE-ALL AND END-ALL’

Radhika Apte says the lockdown period during the pandemic helped her pause and reflect about her life

For Radhika Apte, a lot has changed amid the pandemic, from the way she looks at her career to her perception of the industry. She says this crisis has made her realise that “industry is not be-all and end-all”, and motivated her to follow her curiosity.

Looking back, Apte says, “My ambition has never been about becoming famous. It was to do good work, learn and feel inspired. And I do not like to be recognised in public either.” But that essence got lost as she found fame. “I have been fortunate to get some great projects. But during the lockdown, I realised that I’m not happy with the kind of work I keep doing,” shares the actor, who entered the industry in 2005 with a small role in Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!

Now, she wants to challenge herself, and “not just say yes to different projects to keep myself so occupied”.

The actor, who was last seen in web series, OK Computer, says, “I just realised during the pandemic that this industry is not be-all and end-all for me. There are lots of other things that I feel curious about and sometimes I am like ‘Oh, my God, all my prime years, were just finished chasing something that I’m not even sure I want’. So, I want to choose projects carefully.”

Apte also focused on carving her path in the OTT space, and showed off her calibre in Sacred Games, Ghoul, Lust Stories and Raat Akeli Hai among others. She was glad that OTT turned out to be a saviour last year, and continues to be one. “OTT has a lot of advantages. But I am also a lover of cinema,” says the actor, who is hoping for the “screens to open up”, but doesn’t appreciate the parity that comes with it.

“Unfortunately in India, we have such parities when the theatres open. There’s no equal opportunity to projects. The more financially able projects dominate,” points out the actor.

That parity was wiped off last year with the boom of the OTT space. “Everybody was on the same level. It didn’t matter who you are, if your content wasn’t good enough, it flopped. The smallest film and the biggest film have the same opportunity for viewing -- that is very fascinating. I hope OTT platforms can maintain the quality of content,” she signs off.