Radhika Apte expresses challenges for new mothers in film industry: 'I don't know how I am going to navigate it'

Radhika Apte, who announced her pregnancy last year at the BAFTA Awards, now opened up about the difficulties new mothers face in the demanding film industry. Her British film, Karan Kandhari’s black comedy Sister Midnight, which premiered at Cannes last May, is now releasing in India, and Apte's daughter is six months old.

Short maternity leave and Industry realities
Radhika had a remarkably short "maternity leave," returning to work just a week after her daughter's birth. Last December, she even shared a picture of herself attending a virtual work meeting while breastfeeding, highlighting her immediate return to professional life. While virtually speaking to SCREEN from London, Apte candidly addressed whether the film industry is supportive of new mothers. "I don’t think they are. I don’t know how I’m going to navigate that going ahead," she confessed.

Her statement comes amid a broader discussion within the industry, with reports suggesting actors like Deepika Padukone potentially walking out of films over concerns like requesting eight-hour shifts post-pregnancy. While actor-producer Ajay Devgn recently defended the industry, claiming shorter shifts are now common for everyone, Apte emphasized the unique challenges for new mothers. "It’s really difficult to work in our film industry, given the number of hours and how we film generally, and the time for which we don’t get to see the child. So I guess I’ll just have to figure it out now," she explained. This challenge is compounded by Apte's long-standing practice of dividing her time between India and London.

A shifting focus from acting to screenwriting
Even before embracing motherhood, Radhika found herself dissatisfied with the acting roles coming her way, which led her to explore screenwriting. She previously directed the short film The Sleepwalkers, starring Gulshan Devaiah and Shahana Goswami, available on MUBI. "I’m tired of acting because you don’t necessarily get the kind of work you want. I’m tired of doing the same thing or doing things just for the sake of it," she admitted, explaining her decision to be more selective.

Apte revealed that writing began out of this frustration, allowing her to explore subjects that weren't offered to her as an actor. She unexpectedly found joy in the process, inspiring her to delve deeper into it. On the acting front, Radhika will next be seen in Dharmaraj Shetty’s revenge thriller show Akka on Netflix India and Justin Lin’s American film Last Days, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

Embracing character transformation beyond stereotypes
Discussing her role as Uma in Sister Midnight, Apte highlighted her fascination with the character, a "small-town misfit who became an accidental outlaw." Uma enters an arranged marriage and undergoes a bizarre, supernatural transformation.

When asked if it was fun to break out of the "demure homemaker mould" often seen in roles like her character in Pad Man, Apte clarified her artistic approach. "There’s nothing wrong with playing a demure homemaker. It was never my intention to play a badass. It’s about the character, the arc, and the story you’re trying to tell," she stated. She emphasized the relatability of Uma's journey: "The emotional transformation is the acceptance of who she is. She discovers herself after becoming an outlaw. That self-discovery is very relatable. It’s not about womanhood. It’s applicable to any individual who finds discomfort in adjusting to a structure or a society.”