Actor Radhika Apte speaks out against heavy violence in current mass action films

Actor Radhika Apte says she is strictly against the extreme violence seen in popular mass action films today. In a career of nearly twenty years, Apte has taken on diverse roles and avoided being typecast. Speaking to PTI while promoting her upcoming Netflix series Akka, she shared that she finds such violent films absurd.

Work Choices

Apte said she cannot understand how people eat popcorn while watching scenes where dozens of people are beaten up and creatively injured, such as having skulls broken on sinks or slabs. She stated she refuses to be a part of that trend, even though such films currently drive theatrical business. Her work priorities also shifted after she gave birth to her daughter in 2024, leading her to primarily seek reasonable working hours of 12 hours a day instead of 16 hours. She noted that work is only a part of her life rather than her whole life, and she wants to spend as much time as possible with her young daughter.

Upcoming Projects

Apte is now awaiting the release of her new show, Akka, which is a gangster drama set in the 1980s. The series is set to premiere on October 30 on Netflix and centers on the rivalry between two gangsters. It stars Keerthy Suresh and Radhika Apte in the lead roles. The cast also features Tanvi Azmi, Mahesh Manjrekar, Anshuman Pushkar, and Monica Panwar in key roles. Akka is the latest project to come out of the partnership between Netflix and YRF Entertainment.

Context

Streaming platforms and traditional film studios frequently collaborate on high-profile original series to attract subscribers with star-studded casts and distinct regional or period settings. Crime dramas and gangster stories remain a popular genre for digital platforms in India, often featuring ensemble casts of well-known actors from both film and television.