Radhika Apte: Who you are cannot be the only part you get

Updated On: 22 August, 2023 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu

Amid growing belief that marginalised communities must represent themselves on screen, Radhika on playing a Dalit character in Made in Heaven 2

Radhika Apte

When you’re featuring in a single episode that only takes a few days to be shot, you hardly expect an overwhelming response. But Radhika Apte’s episode in the second season of Made in Heaven has become a dialogue-starter, and for good reason. The Neeraj Ghaywan-helmed episode showcases a Dalit-Buddhist wedding, a rare depiction in mainstream Indian cinema. While the episode is being hailed, the larger discourse of late has been about casting actors with lived-in experience. Where does Apte stand on it? She starts with, “It’s called acting, isn’t it? We don’t cast Muslim actors for Muslim parts, and Christian for Christian parts. There are [two] subjects here —one is casting the right actor. [The other is that] people need representation, highlighting how people of different castes need equal opportunities at work. It’s not fair to mix it up. Who you are cannot be the only part you get, then the experience of an actor is gone. I will only get upper-middle class, Hindu women parts. The character is not confined to its religion, caste or geography alone. We are talking about the emotional liberation of a person on screen.”

The series depicts a Dalit-Buddhist wedding