HAPPY BIRTHDAY RADHIKA APTE: When counting the names of one of the finest actresses in the Hindi film industry, Radhika Apte will surely cross your mind. The 37-year-old actress started her journey with a brief role in the 2008 film Wah! Life Ho Toh Aisi, and there was no looking back. From mainstream cinema to regional to short films, from supporting characters to the leading lady, she has aced it all in different personas, and resonated with her natural but powerful performances.
Here’s a list of her finest on-screen performances, in no particular order, in films, web-series and short films.
- Sacred Games
Radhika helmed the role of a RAW Agent Anjali Mathur in the first season of the show, and was loved for her ‘starkly’ different character. The critically acclaimed show starring Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead, Radhika’s character was missed by fans in the second season and left them disappointed since Radhika’s character is killed in the first season. - Manjhi- The Mountain Man
A Ketan Mehta directorial, Manjhi-The Mountain Man, was a biographical film and received wide appreciation for its plot and performance. Playing the role of Nawazzudin Siddiqui in this one, Radhika as Falguni Devi was well received by the critics and audience alike. Her character managed to strike a chord, yet again. - Pad Man
A biographical comedy-drama film, the 2018 film Pad Man starred Radhika as Akshay Kumar’s wife. Taking up in her role like a chameleon, the actress’ performance till her screen time remained the show-stealer. Playing a village girl named Gayatri, the actress made her performance look effortless, as usual. - Andhadhun
With a great storyline, it was also the power-packed performances of the stellar cast that made the Sriram Raghavan film a memorable one. Starring as Ayushmann Khurrana’s love interest, Radhika as Sophie gave a convincing act and did justice to her screen time. She also received a nomination in the International Indian Films Academy Awards. - A Call to Spy
Making it big in world cinema, Radhika has also starred as a third lead in the 2019 historical drama film, A Call to Spy, which is inspired by true stories of three women spies during World War II. Radhika played the role of Noor Inayat Khan, and the film received positive critical reception. - Ghoul
Starring in a horror genre this time, Radhika played the main character of Nida Rahim in the miniseries titled Ghoul, which traces the plot of a military interrogation going supernatural. The actress delivered an excellent performance in a gripping storyline and did complete justice to her character. - Phobia
A 2016 psychological thriller, Radhika played the solo lead as Mehak Deo who is a gifted artist suffering from Agoraphobia. The actress outperformed a difficult role so well that critics took note and gave the film positive reviews. Despite not doing well at the box office, the film received good response from the audience. - Ahalya
Although a short-film available on Youtube, Ahalya sees Radhika in yet another different avatar- one where she plays a seductress, and gave a haunting performance. The Sujoy Ghosh-directed film, in English and Bengali, has elements taken from the story of Ahalya from Ramayana, but with a modern-day spin-off.
