Radhika Apte has revealed why she stayed away from South cinema for years, saying she was uncomfortable with casting practices that favoured North Indian actresses for being fairer.
Published: October 28, 2026, 1:38 PM IST
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Radhika Apte
Radhika Apte has worked across several film industries and languages, but she has not been part of a South Indian film in yearsThe actor, who made her South cinema debut with the Telugu-Hindi film Rakta Charitra, later appeared in films such as Vetri Selvan, Kabali and LionHer last South film, Chithiram Pesuthadi 2, was released in 2019, six years after it was filmed.
Radhika opened up about why she stayed away from South cinema for so longShe explained that her decision was partly influenced by differences in how she viewed casting and representation in the film industry.
Talking about how it also stemmed from a clash of sensibilities, she tells News18, “I could be wrong but in my perception, north Indian actresses were cast down south because they were fairerI’m not fairI wonder, why they wouldn’t cast south Indian actresses in south Indian films and get north Indian actresses instead! And here, they want foreignersWe’ve a tendency to do that.”
Radhika said she did not want to support a system in which actresses from outside the region were preferred over local talentShe believes South Indian actresses deserve more opportunities in their own film industries.
Radhika adds, “I didn’t want to promote thatWomen down south are absolutely beautiful, talented and amazing, who know the language really wellThey’re excellent performersI think they should get cast in south films rather than people coming from Bombay, who can’t speak a word in that language and get their voices dubbed by othersI wasn’t very much in favour of all that.”
While she has not completely ruled out returning to South cinema, Radhika believes language can be a major challenge for an actorShe said she understands that a particular actress may be chosen for a role for specific reasons, but performing in a language one does not know can affect the final result.
“If there’s a part that has to be performed by a particular actress because of a certain reason, then I understandBut then, language also became a big barrier for me,” remarks the actor, who’s awaiting the release of Netflix’s Akka.
Radhika further explained that she once believed she could perform in any languageHowever, after working in films across seven languages, she realised that knowing the language was important to understand a scene and react naturally.
Radhika Apte Recalls Her Experience on South Film Sets
In the past, Radhika had described Telugu cinema as ‘deeply patriarchal and male-dominated’She had also spoken about feeling like an outsider and criticised the way women were portrayed in films, saying their characters often reflected the idea that ‘my man is god’The actor had also recalled the lack of female colleagues, managers and agents who could support her, as well as instances of lewd jokes about women on set.
However, looking back at her time working in the South, Radhika also remembers the warmth and friendliness she experienced on film setsShe said that people were often informal and treated her like family. “I did my last south film ten years backAnd what I recollect is that things were a bit more informal thereA lot of things happened out of dostiThey were very soft and kindThey would tell me, ‘You’re like family now.’ They treated you as though you were their sister,” she says.
“But that would mean that I would also have to do things out of favourThat would become a problemBut it was also nice because you felt you could go and chat with them,” adds the Andhadhun and Badlapur actor.
