Radhika Apte is thrilled to be Rajinikanth’s new heroine

Even as Radhika Apte continues to rake in praises for her outing in Sujoy Ghosh’s short film Ahalya, the actor can tick off another item in her career checklist — working with mega-star Rajinikanth (inset). The Badlapur actor is — after loads of speculation — set to be Rajini’s new heroine in his next project.

“It will take some time to sink in. I don’t think there is anybody bigger than Rajini sir. And the director, Pa Ranjith, is exceptionally good. So I was extremely thrilled that it has worked out. And I am super excited to finally meet Rajinikanth,” says the 29-year-old.

Interestingly, Radhika is the fourth Bollywood actor — after Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Sonakshi Sinha — to star alongside Rajini. “I think it’s a very rare opportunity. Usually, there’s a huge competition too for something like this. So I feel fortunate,” she says.

Although Radhika has had a tryst with Tamil cinema, she still calls the language “alien”, adding it’s going to be the “main struggle”. “However, the subject is very different and my part is very strong,” says Apte.

But does working with Rajini come with its share of apprehensions to her? “The offer only was such that it was a very performanceoriented part and not just a song-and-dance role. I would have done it anyway. Just doing a film with him is great, but my role and director makes things even more special,” she smiles.