Radhika Apte in ‘Sister Midnight’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Radhika Apte has a flu. On a zoom call from London, the actor fights a boxing of cough as a discussion Sister midnightHis acclaimed, punk-operated black comedy which was shown in last year’s ear and opening in Indian cinemas on 30 May. By all accounts, Apte is a passionate talk. But her voice breaks several times, and I wonder if she is getting out of politics and professionalism. Probably not. In his words, there is a real happiness, a surprise when looking back at the well done.
Apte had approved his comedian authority Monica, hey my darling And Lust storiesBut Sister midnight It appears to mourn in the wilder area. The film highlighted her naltourne through the streets of Uma and Mumbai, a newly married woman. London -based director Karan Kandhari described the character as a ‘unstable plutonium jar’, and anointed Intate ‘Buster Caton Rebirth’.
We talked to Apte about Uma’s construction and decontracting, his life away from Bollywood, and the status of his upcoming direction Kotya, Part …
In many interviews, you have said that this film took you out of your comfort zone. How did the UMA have to separately separate from its previous roles?
Radhika Apte: My general -going process is to intellect the whole thing. I have a history of a biography and character: what happened to them, why they are a certain way, how do they react, why do they make options that they do? With Uma, Karan wanted me to remove all this. To scrape any deep analysis or motivation and allow my body to handle. For example, in a scene, Uma is moving and then she stops and takes a left turn. Generally, I will get a reason behind this action. But here, it was to come with pure impulse. I had to surprise myself. It took a few days to find out. I completely changed the rhythm, and my performance became more like animals.
Did the dance and practical theater help you through the procedure in your background?
This helped a lot. Sister midnight Ha-ha is not a comedy. It is a dark comedy and the film has a lot of strange things. And a lot of it is silent. I had to express everything through my face and body, because the half of the story includes animals. I have studied dance and theater, and this film too, intentionally choreographed in a rhythmic, over-the-top manner. Getting these opportunities is quite rare. Right now, every platform or manufacturer wants you to explain everything and feed the audience.
I love the shot running on a railway platform, against the flow of crowds and air. Do you have a favorite shot or scene from the film?
My favorite scene is what I cannot do here, it is sad. It is a huge turn that comes after the middle point. This is the scene that changes everything. It is very funny and very bizarre. During the shooting, I thought it would be difficult to perform but it turned out to be quite simple. I also enjoyed walking at night through South Bombay. We shot on film and Prakash and Cinematography (by Norwegian DP Sever Sordal) is quite unique and interesting.
Karan was born in Kuwait and lives in London. Was ever friction between the two of the film’s gaze – what does this city or characters look like?
Not about city or culture but about language. Karan wrote a script in English. There was a predetermined rhythm in the dialogue. And in translation, it was lost. Our absolutely wonderful casting director, Dilip Shankar helped him translate the dialogue, but some of it were getting on the set. And some dialogues had no meaning. Karan was cutting the words and changing them to fit the rhythm. I was so, it does not understand grammatically, and that was so, I do not care because I needed to sound in a certain way. So we had to work together and work. It was not a friction but a conversation.
I should also add this, although the film is set in Mumbai, it is quite unique and genderless. This can really happen anywhere.
You now live in London with your husband (violin player and music composer Benedict Taylor) and newborn daughter. How has life away from Hindi film industry for you?
Honestly, it has been a blessing. We try to divide our time between London and Mumbai. But I no longer live in the film industry bubbles. Life is very common as a result. I meet people from all areas of life, people who do not actually give Sh*T about the film business. I find it healthy to lead a life where the film industry is not the end of the world. Otherwise you are taking yourself very seriously, which I see a lot in Mumbai. You are constantly working and constant anxiety and insecurity.
Of course, there are disadvantages in my new life. I can’t do a hatched, especially now when I have a daughter. There are many logistics. I know I miss a lot. I can’t participate in just one program. So both sides have got this, but I like it.
What can you tell us about ‘Kotya’, your direction features about a sugarcane cutter that receives superpower after a forced medical procedure?
I was taken to a large extent with this news as the film is on a very newborn stage. Nothing is set in stone. We are still developing it. This is a story that I really love, and Vikram (Motwen, Manufacturer) and I am building the project. Everyone’s attachment is not yet hundred percent solid. I am not sure when it will go on the floor.
Published – May 29, 2025 03:25 pm IST
