Remapping Boundaries
Actor Radhika Apte looks back on the most meaningful journeys of her life so far
Actor Radhika Apte on travel memories and a spirited life
The Konkan coast is where she went on trips as a child, ate food, cooked on wood fires, drew water from a well, bathed in river waters and brought home caterpillars to watch them grow into butterflies. “It is special because it is close to how I was brought up,” says actor Radhika Apte—the poster child for a life filled with adventure. She is a non-conformist, who thrives on new challenges, savours unconventional experiences and relishes pushing the boundaries. Revelling in a journey in the performing arts spanning almost two decades, the Pune-bred actor has seamlessly transitioned from theatre which is a “meditative process and passion” for her, to her highly acclaimed and diverse
“I can never go to touristy places and click pictures”
roles on the big screen to extremely popular web series. The star recently won a Best Actress nomination at the International Emmy Awards for the Netflix film, Lust Stories. “Certain awards, like this one, mean something because the recognition that it inevitably carries at that level for things happening in our country is extremely important. It is a proud moment which will also encourage more good content,” she says. Experimentation equals existence. Apte’s wide repertoire of work across varied genres, platforms and languages is prompted by her untiring love for “challenges and excitement,” which reflect in her choices in work, life and travel as well. From diving with sharks in the Galapagos islands and trekking up Triund in the Himalayas to sauntering across scenic villages in Eastern Europe and watching local theatre, she is the only constant on an ever-changing canvas. “I find it impossible to stay put in one place, so I chose a profession that entails travel,” she says, She also chose a partner who lives and works in England, prompting the couple to shuttle between Pune, Mumbai, London and the Lake District. “I love every kind of travel but I prefer to go to smaller places and walk
endlessly, discovering and exploring, meeting strangers and eating local food,” she says. Her love for adventure is fuelled by her childhood road trips with her parents’ group of friends: to the mountains and by the sea with the children converting the rear seat of their Tata Sierra into a mini playground with Hindi film songs as background score. Always the one to chart the untravelled path, Apte recently took diving classes just to overcome her fear of the sea after an accident in the waters 20 years ago. She now goes off alone on diving trips, takes annual holidays with her friends and divides time between homes, countries and continents with husband, Benedict Taylor. She enjoys trekking, loves going back to the Konkan coast where she spent several holidays as a child living in a village home with cow dung walls, nestled in the shade of a mango orchard, and spends her most treasured travel moments discovering the local cuisines and cultures of Eastern Europe. This outbound exploration seems to have found poignant manifestation in her inner journey as well, taking her from a young girl wanting to defy convention in the rather conservative and close-knit city of Pune to an accomplished actor who pushes boundaries with every new challenge she takes up. “The most exciting journey has been my personal evolution which has come through awareness to question norms. If I don’t find logic in an idea, I change it or I accommodate it. My work and travels have transformed me in a positive manner. I am open to change and new ideas of stability and morality,” she says. After all, the seeker of the firetrail needs no maps; pushing the envelope may have become second nature, but here’s hoping that the next one she opens has her name on it.