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How Radhika Apte Has Normalised Nudity On Screen, Done Bold Scenes From Parched To Sister Midnight
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Radhika Apte does not shout from rooftops about going 'bold' in films. She does it with nonchalance, like she has for multiple roles, including the recent one in Sister Midnight.
Radhika Apte Bold Roles: Over the last decade, Radhika Apte has carved out a space in Indian and international cinema that defies conventional norms. While many actresses shy away from roles involving nudity or vulnerability — often for fear of being typecast — Radhika has chosen to lean into characters that require a certain physical and emotional nakedness. It's not for provocation, and rarely for glamour. Instead, it seems like a choice rooted in the script and character.
What separates her from others who have played 'bold" roles is the absence of performance for attention. She doesn't market herself as fearless, but simply does the work — and lets the work speak for itself. Directors, from Anurag Kashyap to Leena Yadav, have often trusted her with characters that navigate complex emotional terrains — where nudity, as and when it appears, is part of the narrative arc, not a shortcut to headlines. Recently, CBFC ordered to remove a nudity scene from Karan Kandhari's 'Sister Midnight', Radhika Apte's most-recent release, which has now hit OTT platform Tubi, with an 'A' certificate.
Here's a list of boldest scenes in Radhika Apte's film career:
That Day After Everyday (2013)
In Anurag Kashyap's short film, Radhika plays one of three women confronting street harassment. Though there is no explicit nudity, the subtle physicality — bruises on face and a visibly guarded posture — convey a body that has been hurt and transforming. The film brought her physical expression into the foreground, turning it into a tool of empowerment rather than reducing it to just sexuality. Radhika had once opened up on how she connected immediately with the film's message. 'As Indian women we get eve‑teased a lot… it was really easy to connect," she had said.
Badlapur (2015)
In the film Radhika Apte played Koko, whose cameo included a disturbing scene where she's coerced into undressing by Varun Dhawan's character. The moment was uncomfortable and served the film's dark tone rather than aiming for titillation. Radhika was lauded for delivering it with restraint, letting discomfort and tension take the lead than just nudity. True to form, she never sensationalised it — treating the scene as part of the narrative, not a publicity hook.
Parched (2016)
Leena Yadav's Parched marked a major turning point in Radhika Apte's career. Radhika's portrayal of Lajjo included a leaked nude scene that made waves online and dominated headlines. In a chat with The News Minute, she said, 'A female body is not just sexual. But this is a trap men are prone to too, not just women. that was a step towards feeling more liberated about my body. You watch a certain thing, you read a certain way, you aspire to be that person who doesn't have inhibitions. But actually taking that step to be that, to practice what you believe in. Taking that step made me feel happy."
Madly (2016)
In Anurag Kashyap's 'Clean Shaven" segment from the anthology 'Madly", Radhika Apte plays Archana, a woman navigating marital trauma. Her character forms a connection with her neighbour Allwyn (Adarsh Gourav), culminating in a scene of brief frontal nudity — driven solely by vulnerability, not provocation.
When stills from the tastefully shot short leaked online, Radhika called the scene 'extremely liberating," saying it helped her shed deep-rooted body insecurities. Her performance earned her the Best Actress award at Tribeca Film Festival. Opening up on the scene, Anurag Kashyap told The Times Of India in an interview, 'It took us so much time to do it in a non-sexual way, as it is meant to be absolutely non-sexual and we took all the care we could. It was not easy to find an actor who is brave enough to participate in it. And then, all of a sudden after a month from nowhere, this video popped up online."
The Wedding Guest (2018)
In this film, Radhika Apte starred opposite Dev Patel, playing Samira, a young bride-to-be caught in a cross-border kidnapping plot. While the film is filled with suspense, the moment that truly lingered with the audience was the intimate love scene between Samira and Jay (Dev Patel). The scene was leaked online but grabbed eyeballs not for eroticism, but for how emotionally raw it felt . The scene earned critical praise for both its restraint and realism.
When the leaked stills became the talking point, Radhika said, as reported in Republic, 'The film… has many other beautiful sequences and the fact that one particular sex scene got leaked because of the psychotic mentality of society."
Sister Midnight (2024)
On the personal front, Radhika Apte and her husband, Benedict Taylor, welcomed their first child in December 2024.
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