The Ghoul actor, who also inspired memes, is glad tough times are not as 'Omnipresent' as her
Mumbai: Actor Radhika Apte became a household name when the netizens (and Netflix India) went into a tizzy making memes about her 'omnipresence' in every original series on the streaming site, Netflix.
From Ghoul to Lust Stories and Sacred Games, Apte has wowed everyone with her acting chops. She recently went on actor Neha Dhupia's podcast chat show, NoFilterNeha, on Saavn and shared her struggles in Bollywood. Here are some of her biggest bummers in Bollywood:
Bombay made Radhika Apte depressed at one point
"I came to Bombay initially, alone. Then I went back to Pune because I got too depressed because I was here for 7-8 months, I was staying with people that I didn’t get along with and I was doing theatre which was in town so it was that commute every day, which is fine, that was the only good time, the theatre time that I had. But I had no good friends. I wanted to do films and I didn’t know a single soul, I didn’t know any casting director, I didn’t know anybody! I didn’t know where to start from. So, I’d wake up and feel what do I do? Whom should I call? Where do I go? So, I realized I need to be around people who make me a bit happy and don’t make me feel so useless."
Weird borderline sleazy auditions
"I came back from London and these guys said that they wanted to do a film, Vikram the south Indian actor is going to be in it, it’s going to be massive and it’s a period drama. So, they called me down south and said we’ll give you a hotel, you come here for one day, the director wants to audition you. I’m not even exaggerating okay, I’m not even joking, this is exactly what happened…this director was some asshole, I can’t even remember his name, they got me a room which was a bizarre room! It was such a cheap hotel, I could not believe. And I’ve not gone to South India or any industry where they’ve treated me like that. So I go to them and said I need to go back tonight, I can’t stay here. Then the director came and said ‘just want to see you in different poses’. I said I don’t know what that means so he just showed me some dance poses, thankfully. And with him, a bunch of people came into the room, all men, with cameras. And they were like they’re going to click pictures and I couldn’t quite understand where this was going, what was happening. That got over and he said we have to get your measurements with masterji and again some 12 people came in and took my pictures in that little blouse and the period costume that they’d given me. They’re clicking pictures of me and I don’t even know where those pictures are! It wasn’t that anybody touched me or said anything sexual, it’s just that what was happening was not okay."
Pending payments
"I have payments pending for years…years! I won’t tell you names in Bombay but the two films I did with Balakrishna, who’s great, he was actually trying to help me. But the second film that I did with him, they offered me a lot of money because I was doing his second film. It was not my cup of tea, I was doing it because it was really good money. I had a lot of money which they said they’ll give me on the last day. So, it was a song shoot and I said I want my money right now or I’m not going to do this song. And they said here’s the cashier, he has the money and the receipts so just finish this off and we’ll immediately give you. Then I finished my shoot and I had to leave for the airport and I said so please can you give me my money? And they were like oh, the cashier went to the office. So, they said, if the cashier comes here, it’s going to be too late for you to go to the airport so why don’t you go to the airport and let the cashier meet you at the airport, outside the airport you sign the things, take the money and you go. So, I said this is not okay but I had to go, I had work the next day. And I remember incessantly calling them and either they were not answering or their phones were switched off! I tried to follow up with them for so long but I never got paid!"
Also read: 5 memes from Radhika Apte's unofficial crowning ceremony as the Queen of Netflix India
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