Radhika Apte’s initial few years in the acting space were marked with films and characters that were more in the serious and intense space. It is only in some of her last few projects that the Sacred Games actor has started exploring her goofy side as well. Remember her quirky cop character ACP Vijayashanti Naidu in Monica, O My Darling? In her latest avatar, in the spy comedy Mrs Undercover that released on April 14 on Zee5, Apte plays a spy named Durga who has been forgotten by her agency and by the time she is called for a job, she has become a housewife. The actor got candid about her role in the film, her choices and why she doesn’t think any publicity is bad publicity. Edited excerpts:
The film’s director Anushree Mehta has mentioned in an interview that you said yes to doing the film within minutes of her narrating it. What made you give the green signal?
I read the script around three weeks before the shoot because they weren’t ready with the script for a long time. I had a brief narration in the beginning and I said I would like to do the film because we don’t really see spy thrillers that are comedies. It was a really good idea that she’s a housewife who has been neglected as an agent. She thinks she’s just a housewife and can’t really do anything. It’s basically a journey of her realising her self-worth and I thought it was just a great idea, so I said yes to doing it.
Cops and spies are traditionally shown in more serious avatars. In your last release Monica, O My Darling, you played a cop with a quirky sense of humour and here, too, you are exploring your goofy side. Do you think this also makes them more relatable?
I think so. A lot of people have come to me and said that they know someone exactly like what I played in Monica and even with Durga — it’s more relatable because all these posh-polished characters are not really real. If somebody records us eating alone at home, you will know!
Is there some innate goofiness that you bring to the table?
Yes, probably I am goofy at some level. Monica’s character was written like that and even this character is Anushree’s imagination. I like doing comedy. I like clumsiness and being foolish and silly.
Even though it’s a light-hearted film tackling a series of murders, there is also an underlying theme of addressing patriarchy and the role of housewives. Is that something that appealed to you about it?
I don’t normally do films where there is some social message I want to convey. That’s not what I go for. I think what I liked here is the character journey of a woman who finds her self-worth. I think any personal story is universal. It’s just very relatable to most women across the globe because traditionally, household work has always been seen as women’s work and we have fought for centuries for equal rights; the right to work and follow our dreams.
You have not worked with many female directors but is there a difference you feel when you work with a female director?
Not really. We work with a lot of women all the time on set. Women are more considerate of what is going on, on set. They are more empathetic and compassionate and that comes with upbringing and caring about what others think. But other than that, a director is a director and I think it’s high time we started looking at it like that.
Except for Vikram Vedha (2022), your last few projects have all been OTT releases and so is this one. You had become associated with a certain digital platform, so much so that there were memes being made about it. How much do you think has OTT contributed to your popularity as an actor?
A lot and it was something I never expected. It was sometime in 2016 when everything just sort of blew up with OTT platforms being launched. I didn’t expect it and I still sometimes wonder why because it’s not like I was doing everything on any one platform. But you know what they say, no publicity is bad publicity!
After all these years in the industry, is there something you are specifically looking to do in terms of roles and characters?
It was after finishing college around 2008-09 that I actually started to pursue acting seriously. When I started out, there was such limited choice that one takes up any work one gets. Not that I am spoilt for choice right now, but I can say no to a lot of work which is a privilege I didn’t have at that time. Some work I get is better and I get treated well. I have more understanding of the industry now.
I would love to get roles that are more nuanced and where I have to work really hard because I love doing that. I would love to get parts where I get to spend a couple of months performing it and characters with big arcs that can challenge me.
What’s next after Mrs Undercover?
I just finished shooting for a British film called Sister Midnight and then there is an American film I will shoot for next. There is also a Hindi film in the pipeline this year. I’m also trying to write something that I hope to make next year; let’s see.
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