Radhika Apte (born 7 September 1985) is an Indian actress. She works predominantly in Hindi films, and has appeared in a few Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Bengali, and English-language films. She began acting in theatre and made her film debut with a brief role in the Hindi fantasy, Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005).
Apte's first lead role was in the 2009 Bengali social drama, Antaheen. She gained attention for her supporting roles in three of her 2015 Bollywood productions: Badlapur, the comedy Hunterrr, and the biographical film Manjhi - The Mountain Man. Her leading roles in the 2016 independent films Phobia and Parched earned her acclaim. In 2018, Apte starred in three Netflix productions—the anthology film Lust Stories, the thriller series Sacred Games, and the horror mini series Ghoul. She was nominated for an International Emmy Award for her work in the first of these. She has since starred in the Netflix films Raat Akeli Hai (2020) and Monica, O My Darling (2022), and portrayed Noor Inayat Khan in the American film A Call to Spy (2019).
In addition to her work in independent films, Apte has also played the leading lady in mainstream films, such as the Tamil action film Kabali (2016), the Hindi biographical film Pad Man (2018), and the Hindi black comedy Andhadhun (2018), all of which were commercially successful. She has been married to London-based musician, Benedict Taylor, since 2012.
Early life
Radhika Apte was born in a Marathi speaking family on 7 September 1985 in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Her parents were studying and working as doctors at the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore when she was born. Her father Dr. Charudutt Apte subsequently became a neurosurgeon and chairman of Sahyadri Hospital, Pune. She is an Economics and Mathematics graduate from Fergusson College, Pune. In Pune, she initially studied in a regular school, and then was home schooled along with four friends by their parents living in the same building, who did not want their children to go through the regular schooling system. Apte found this experience liberating, as it boosted her self confidence. While growing up in Pune, Apte trained under Kathak exponent, Rohini Bhate, for eight years. It was during this time that Apte became involved in theater in Pune, and decided to go to Mumbai to join films. However, a few months later, Apte got discouraged by her experience in Mumbai and returned to her family in Pune. Apte recounted these times in an interview with Scoop Whoop in 2018, as a learning yet demoralizing experience, wherein she managed with a salary of ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 from theater roles and having to put up with odd house owners and roommates in Goregaon, where she lived as a paying guest. During this time, Apte acted in her first film, a Marathi film called "Gho mala asala hawa" (2009). This was followed by her first Hindi film, Shor in the city, after which she acted in Rakta Charitra, Rakta Charitra 2, and "I am".
On returning to Pune, Apte made an overnight decision of going to London for a year, where she studied contemporary dance at London's Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance for a year. Apte said her experience in London was life-changing, as she was exposed to a completely different and liberating way of working professionally. There she met her future husband Benedict, who subsequently moved to Pune with her, travelling regularly to Mumbai for his work while Apte still did not want to return to Mumbai because of her earlier experience. After a year, she finally agreed to move to Mumbai, and her second experience in Mumbai was far more positive, as she no longer felt alone.
