Three-and-a-half years after Bombairiya (2019), actor Radhika Apte is back to the big screen with the Hindi film Vikram Vedha, which has hit the theatres today. The Hindi remake of the Tamil neo-noir actioner that starred Vijay Sethupathi and R Madhavan sees her playing a lawyer and actor Saif Ali Khan’s wife.
In an exclusive interaction with News18, Radhika recalls shooting for the film, which remains one of her most memorable experiences. “I almost cried after the shoot was over because it was so much fun. I was like, ‘No! Why did it finish so quickly?’" she says with a laugh.
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The Hrithik Roshan and Saif starrer is directed by director duo Pushkar-Gayathri, who had helmed the original film too and is also known for creating and writing the Amazon original series Suzhal: The Vortex. Sharing her excitement about collaborating with them, Radhika says, “They are truly wonderful directors and people. They work together and live together, obviously. I’ve never ever met two people so in love and sync."
The 37-year-old believes that it’s their personal bond that translates into a seamless process of work on a film set. “The other day Gayathri was telling me that they took a different flight for the first time and it disturbed them that they weren’t together for the whole time. It was adorable! They are really lovely. They have a lot of respect, patience and love for each other, and that reflects in how they’re with other people too," she shares.
It is not every day that a female filmmaker is seen helming a full-blown commercial action film, but Gayathri has blazed the trail with Vikram Vedha, where she, along with her husband, has directed two male superstars who lock horns and are seen packing some solid punches and engaging in high-octane action sequences. Quiz Radhika if she would want to headline an actioner directed by the couple and she remarks, “Let me tell you something… between the two of them, Gayathri is the badass. She’s really cool. And yes, I would love to do action on the big screen if an offer comes my way."
Radhika reveals that she might not have read writer Vikram Chandra’s best-selling novel Sacred Games before she began shooting for the globally popular Netflix series of the same name but she made it a point to watch the Tamil film before signing its Hindi remake. “I didn’t read the script because it wasn’t ready at that time but I did watch the film. And then I had a lovely, long lunch meeting with Gayathri and Pushkar. Thereafter, we decided to work together on the film," she recollects.
But did watching the original film colour her perception while playing her part in the remake? “I forget things anyway (laughs)! When I was shooting for this film, I didn’t remember the original film and how they had done it. So, I looked at it with fresh eyes and that’s your job as an actor," she states.
The Raat Akeli Hai (2020) and Forensic (2022) actor continues, “When you’re doing 15 takes of the same scene, each time you’ve to say your lines as if it’s the first time and the scene is brand new. That way, you’re used to starting a scene from zero with a clean mind."
Vikram Vedha marks Radhika’s third collaboration with Saif after Sacred Games and Baazaar (2018). While their latest film is a serious actioner, they had a blast on the set and bonded over their common sense of humour. She elaborates, “If your sense of humour matches with another person’s, it tells you a lot. And that’s the hardest [thing to bond over]. You might like somebody but if you don’t laugh at each other’s jokes, it can be very dangerous (laughs). I don’t know him that well to say that our sensibilities match. But if you’re on the same page as far as your sense of humour is concerned, your sensibilities can be pretty similar."
She shares that their differences, in fact, proved to be an ice-breaker. “It’s not like we share similar opinions on certain things but that makes it more interesting since we can chat and exchange perspectives. The best thing about Saif is that he speaks his mind but is open to listening to another person too. And that’s why I feel free to speak my mind as well when I’m with him, which is taken very well. I prefer such relationships," Radhika says.
But the common thread between the actors is their love for travel and the fact that they are both avid readers. So, what were the conversations on set like? “We would talk about work, life and the things happening around the world, and sometimes, we would just chat to pass time. But mostly, we would be fooling around and playing a prank on somebody. It’s important to keep yourself engaged and have humour around you. It’s the same as how any two people meet and get along," avers Radhika, who will next be seen in Monica, O My Darling, a neo-noir crime comedy co-starring Rajkummar Rao and Huma Qureshi.
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