Felt exploited working in Rakta Charitra: Radhika Apte

In an interview with Grazia Magazine, Apte said she felt "exploited" working in the film Rakta Charitra.

She said, "I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do the film. I honestly felt very exploited because I wasn’t getting paid much. They told me I’d be doing one film but then they made me shoot in Tamil and Telugu as well. So, I was like okay, this is a lot of work and commitment.

"The film had big actors and the shoots would never start on time. I have never been desperate for work. So, I didn’t feel like I needed to endure long hours on the set when my time and talent weren’t being optimised. It was during this time that I began questioning my career path; I thought to myself: ‘Is this how the business works?"

Apte, who experiments with roles on screen, played a rustic village girl's role in Rakta Charitra, which revolved around the story of revenge politics between two communities.

Apte also revealed how she had faced discrimination in the fillm, Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi, by not getting paid while other actors had got remuneration.

"They said they couldn’t afford to pay me and asked me to do it for free. When on set, I realised that even the child artists were being paid," she said.

The actor said, "If that production house ever calls me for another movie, I will turn them down politely."

Apte, who featured in Bengali film Antaheen in 2009, earned critical acclaim through her acting in Badlapur, Parched, Padman and Andhadhun.

The 35-year old Bollywood star has termed working in Badlapur a "liberating" experience.

She said, "Badlapur was sort of right in between for me because it had a lot of content and it was also for the normal audience and so I think, people saw me in a different light," and added, "As an actor, you’re always looking for a confidence boost. And Badlapur provided that. Let’s be honest, we all look for some sort of validation."

Apte went bold in the film Parched where she went nude in one of the scenes.

Regarding her role in Parched, Apte said, "I think Lajjo’s character is so lovely, and her inability to get hurt by anybody is so pure and innocent. I think her sexual liberation was in many ways moving for me because I had to tackle it in the best way I knew how.

"And it wasn’t easy because I was contending with my own body image issues at the time. So, having to be nude on screen was a little intimidating. Now, I can bare it all anywhere."

Over her nude clip leak from Clean Shaven, the actor told magazine, "When a nude clip of mine leaked, while I was filming Clean Shaven, I was trolled badly, and it did affect me. I couldn’t step out of the house for four days, not because of what the media was saying but because my driver, watchman, and my stylist’s driver recognised me from the images."

Apte, a popular face on Over-the-top (OTT) platforms, was seen in Netflix's Lust Stories, Sacred Games, Ghoul.

She was last seen in OK Computer, a science-fiction comedy series.