Radhika Apte Discusses Challenges of Motherhood: The Hindi Film Industry's Compatibility with Moms

Time of India

2 days ago

Motherhood has a way of shifting priorities, but for
, it's also pulled back the curtain on a long-ignored truth: Is the Hindi film industry compatible for mothers? Being a hands-on parent Radhika is also trying to hold space for her creative life.
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Excerpts of the interview are as followed...
'
We have no nanny and no night nurse'
Now a mother, Radhika describes this phase as both overwhelming and extraordinary. Ask her if becoming a mother has changed her creative lens and Radhika, as candid as she gets, replies, "Five and a half months is a very small time to give you that answer. I'm still in the thick of it," she answers as she speaks to us from London. "We live in London, we believe in doing stuff on our own.
So, we have zero help. We have no nanny, no night nurse, no cook, nobody.
We do everything on our own. So, it's been very hectic, but we like it. Babies famously don't sleep. Every day is different, to be honest with you. It's been incredible and it's been very hard at the same time so far. You do look at world from a very different lens because you have a child now," she adds.
Radhika Apte opens up about her motherhood journey, says she was prepared for "postpartum depression"
'
Not a lot of mothers with babies can possibly work in our industry'
However, while she is still finding her foot as a mother, she has deduced something on the work front.
"With work, what has definitely changed, is now I've realized that how we work in India is just never going to be a possibility for me. Because in India a normal shift is minimum 12 hours. That doesn't include makeup. So, with hair and makeup it's about 13 hours, plus the travel. And no shoot finishes on time. That's 15 hours plus when it doesn't finish up on time.
I've shot mostly for 16 -18 hours in my life. And that's just never a possibility anymore. I can't do it because if I do that, I'll never get to see my daughter. So, I've just realized that that's impossible. So, I must have different terms in my contracts now and a lot of people are going to have problems with that. That's made me wonder - there's so many women on film sets. We talk about gender equality and there's so many women in lots of departments. Then I want to know how many of them have children. Because it's assumed in our culture that it's okay for men not to see their children. But mothers can't afford to do that. So not a lot of mothers with babies can possibly work in our industry. Unless they have their babies dragged on set. So, I was just like, 'Wow, this is going to have to change how I work'. I have two projects that I'm about to sign and I'm gonna have to change how the contracts read. But that's really been an eye opener for me," the
Andhadhun
actress elaborates.
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'
I don't feel like I've just completely gotten myself buried under mother duties'
Through it all, Radhika finds strength in the shared load at home—something she and her partner, musician
, have committed to wholeheartedly. "We're trying to find a balance. I realize that it's a longer process because every day is different. However, cliched this line is, it's actually true. Every single day is different. The baby's needs change, the baby's sleep changes, your emotion change. Everything changes every day.
But we are trying to find that. We both have not given up what we need, and we give each other time to do that.
I don't feel like I've just completely gotten myself buried under mother duties. I'm not completely sacrificing my entire self for it. And my partner and I share everything, like absolutely everything. We're so equal in, in how we are raising her. It's been really lovely to learn to get to know your partner better," she states.
Fresh off a wave of festival acclaim for
Sister Midnight
, Radhika shares, "We've had really great reviews everywhere. It's actually very validating." She admits she is "Not sure how it will do theatrically". " I'm very excited to see what happens because it's so different," she signs off.