Radhika Apte is clearly the flavour of the season and for all the right reasons. Her role in ‘Hunterrr’ and then, in ‘Phobia’ is evidence enough that Apte is a class act, period. She could very well be the next Smita Patil—dusky, mysterious, mind of her own and mettle to prove it. But, beyond all of that, we are a nation that still judges women by the body, the complexion and by how physically appealing she is.
Radhika Apte is the blend of great cinema and great features and trail-blazes non-convention at the moment. Her opinions matter—be it on war, or on a nude scene. Her style matters, too—on and off the red carpet. But what seems a little hard to shake is the hidden prejudice behind all this unconventional brouhaha. Apte’s directors, producers, co-stars and even her publicists have been successful in branding her as the modern-aged role model for Indian cinema—a blend of commercial and critical success. But, if you observe the deeper undercurrent, it really is a very age-old formula. Take someone who doesn’t look like the typical fair and lovely girl next door, give her a few opinions and galore of opportunities and turn her into the perfect symbol. It’s like the breath of fresh air everyone needs because the men with the money have made it so. And so, it works. You’d probably tell me a Richa Chadda could work the same way; so could a Chitrangada Singh and yes, to a certain extent they do, and for the very same reasons.
But, it’s about Radhika Apte right now. It’s about her movie, her leaked scenes, her opinions, her guts and her attitude… Oh, and yes, her talent and prowess as a fabulous actor. Or did you forget that because you were too busy looking at the leaked scene and agreeing with the fact that she’s so unconventional, it’s almost conventional?
