She is a performer in the classical sense of the word. A dancer and an actor of screen and stage, Radhika Apte is committed to her craft and rewriting the rules of what it means to be a Bollywood star.
THERE’S SOMETHING UNBENDING ABOUT RADHIKA APTE. It’s in the unforgettable opening shot of Lust Stories, last year’s big Netflix conversation piece: On a late night, floodlit by Mumbai’s fuzzy streetlamps, she emerges from a dinky black and yellow taxi, leaning out of the window. Her back is straight, shoulders thrown back. It isn’t a post of girlish excitement. She looks like the Winged Victory.
It’s the danseuse in her, you realise in person. She arrives on location at the Harper’s Bazaar shoot in Kolhapuri chappals and an olive-coloured shirt dress. She’s light on her feet but upright; centred, as the historian Jennifer Homans once explained about dancers, as though “a plumb line were dropped from the crown of the head down through the spine”.
Apte has had six releases in fewer than 12 months. Some of them have been huge hits. In 2018, she was a spy (Sacred Games), a corporate high-flier (Baazaar), a college lecturer on the verge of a meltdown (Lust Stories), and a cop in a torture cell (Ghoul), among other things. She generated her own force field of stardom in an Akshay Kumar vehicle (Padman) and an Ayushmann Khurrana hit (Andhadhun) respectively, holding her own opposite two of Hindi cinema’s most bankable male stars.
You don’t see that she’s a student of kathak and a trained contemporary dancer from her movies. She doesn’t do the nritya-nayika, item-bomb stuff on screen, although women have historically derived a great deal of importance from these roles in Hindi cinema. “I actually haven’t danced in four years,” she says, taking a seat for hair and makeup. (Back: Still straight.) “I used to go to classes, but things have been crazy.”
This story is from the January - February 2019 edition of Harper's Bazaar India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January - February 2019 edition of Harper's Bazaar India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
...Carry A Rockstar Look?
Remember the iconic advice from Bob Dylan: "Sometimes you have to bite your lip and put on some sunglasses"? He, of course, took it strictly, crafting his musician persona with those classic black Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Now it's your chance to create your own stylish journey with a timeless touch of sophistication.
The Yarn Story
A slew of homegrown labels are making a case for why knitwear could be a year-round choice.
HOLA BARCELONA!
From art, culture, and architecture to a buzzing nightlife, Spain's second-largest city has something for everyone.
BEAUTY NEWS
All that's fresh in the world of beauty right now.
THE NEW FRONTIER
Explore the shift towards holistic body care.
'CELEBRATE YOUR SKIN TONE'
In an exclusive conversation with Bazaar India, make-up mogul Laura Mercier, who recently launched her products in India, talks about her career, the flawless look that she pioneered, and shares make-up tips.
GREAT STRIDES
A psychoanalyst explores how women have taken control of the sartorial narrative over the centuries, embracing fashion as a subtle yet powerful form of self-expression.
FROM ASCENT TO APEX
When rising star ANANYA PANDAY crosses paths with resurgent legend ZEENAT AMAN, it's a celebration of womanhood in all its glory.
INDIAN LEGACY, GLOBAL OUTLOOK
Tracing Welspun Living's journey from its humble beginnings in Gujarat to its international dominance in the home textile industry.
PAGE TURNERS
These forbidden romance' novels defy expectations and redefine love.