Radhika Apte has reignited a debate about gender roles and age gaps in South Indian cinema after describing an uncomfortable experience on the set of an unnamed Telugu film, writes NDTV.
In an interview with Zoom, the actor recalled playing a character who was married to her maternal uncle in the story.
She said she disliked almost everything about the project, which she found particularly challenging.
“There was a Telugu film I did where I had to marry my Mama (maternal uncle) in the film. It was the most challenging film. I hated everything about it,” Radhika said.
Actor Keerthy Suresh, who was also part of the conversation, offered some cultural context, noting that marriage between a woman and her maternal uncle is a tradition found in parts of Tamil and Telugu communities.
Radhika went on to explain that she also had to romance a considerably older actor. Describing the film’s setting as patriarchal, she said the experience was difficult for her.
She also recalled how her character died midway through the story. The actor described a scene in which her co-star had to throw her over his shoulder before continuing with an action sequence. Radhika jokingly wondered when her character would finally die.
Although she did not identify the film, social media users quickly linked her comments to Boyapati Srinu’s 2014 Telugu action drama ‘Legend’, which starred Nandamuri Balakrishna.
Balakrishna was 54 when the film was released, while Radhika was 29. The age difference has become a talking point following the resurfacing of her interview.
The online reaction has been divided. Some users criticised the film’s storyline and the age gap between its lead actors, while others questioned why Radhika accepted the role if she had reservations about its premise.
One social media user argued that the actor must have known about the script and her co-star before agreeing to the project.
Another pointed to her association with ‘Legend’, suggesting that the film helped make her familiar to Telugu audiences.
Radhika has yet to confirm whether ‘Legend’ was the film she discussed. She has also not publicly named the project or offered further clarification.
