Radhika Apte on Being Forced to Pad Her Body on Set: A Disturbing Industry Truth

Mumbai: After completing 20 years in the film industry, acclaimed actor Radhika Apte is reflecting on her journey with honesty and courage. While she now enjoys greater agency over the roles she chooses, the actor admits that memories from her early years still haunt her—particularly the sexism and harassment she faced on film sets, both in Hindi and South Indian cinema.

Speaking on an episode of Creator X Creator on SCREEN, Radhika revealed that she consciously distanced herself from working with certain influential figures in Hindi cinema after encountering deeply uncomfortable situations.

“There were some offers that came to me, and I went to meet them. When I realized, I said I’m never going to work with them. They’re awful people. Very big people,” she said, adding that naming them would shock many.

“I Really Needed the Money”: Struggles in South Indian Films

Radhika shared that financial necessity pushed her to take up South Indian film projects in the late 2000s, but those experiences proved equally distressing. Recalling one particularly traumatic incident, she said she was the only woman on set, shooting in a small town, with no female support staff around her.

“They wanted to add more padding on my bums and breasts. They were like, ‘Amma, more padding!’ I said, ‘How much more padding?’” she recalled, highlighting the casual normalization of body shaming and objectification.

She further revealed that she had no manager or agent at the time and was not allowed to bring her own team, all of whom were men assigned by the production.

“The sexism started from cracking lewd jokes about women on set to literally telling you what your physicality needs to be,” Radhika said.

“It Was Actually Traumatic”

Despite describing herself as generally outspoken and brave, Radhika admitted that thinking about those days still makes her heart race.

“I never, ever want to be put in that situation again because I’ll cry. It was actually traumatic. I wouldn’t want any woman to be in that position,” she said.

The actor also expressed concern over how women continue to be portrayed in many big-budget films today, calling the representation disturbing and regressive.

Holding Everyone Accountable, Not Just Men

Importantly, Radhika clarified that she does not place the blame solely on men. She emphasized that women in positions of power within the industry also bear responsibility for enabling or ignoring such toxic work cultures.

“There are so many women in such powerful positions who can make the change, but they won’t. And I find that deeply disturbing,” she stated.

She also noted that aligning professionally with people in the industry has become increasingly difficult for her, as she often doesn’t know where they stand politically or ethically.

Recent Work

Radhika Apte was most recently seen in Tisca Chopra’s directorial debut Saali Mohabbat, co-starring Divyenndu. The film is currently streaming on ZEE5.

As conversations around workplace safety, gender equality, and representation gain momentum in Indian cinema, Radhika Apte’s candid account serves as a stark reminder of the work that still needs to be done—both on and off the screen.

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