Radhika Apte reflected on how the portrayal of women in old Bollywood romances had a deeper impact on her than she realised at the time. She shared that
the beauty standards and on-screen behaviour she grew up watching shaped her own insecurities during college. Apte emphasised that artists cannot detach themselves from the larger social influence their work carries. With Influence, Comes Responsibility: Radhika Apte In an exclusive interview with Zoom, the Saali Mohabbat actress pointed out that cinema and cricket hold immense power in India, making it crucial for public figures to recognise the responsibility that comes with their reach. "I feel that in this country, whether you like it or not, cricket and cinema are two most famous things, right? That's their one thing of inspiration, that's what they go for. So whether you like it or not, you have a lot of influence. Whether you're a small actor like me or a huge star, it doesn't matter. You have influence, and there comes a responsibility with it. You can't just keep talking. People's lives are sometimes shaped by tiny things you say, or you don't say, because mine was. I went through a lot of ups and downs because of the actors and actresses I admired, and I thought I was really an example of that," said the actress. Radhika Apte SLAMS Representation Of Women In Bollywood She added, "I spent my entire college time thinking that I was not pretty and my body wasn't correct enough and all those things because I didn't fit into a lot of things... The whole trend of romantic films where saying no to boys was cool and then being chased was cool and all of that, all of that stuff and how the women were treated and how they were—it affected me a lot and I was a part of that. And then, obviously luckily, you question everything and you realise it's all rubbish, but it does have a huge effect. So I think there's some responsibility you have and you cannot separate yourself from politics."
She explained that politics isn’t only about elections or political parties. It’s also about everyday life, how society works, what you think, and the responsibility you carry in that.
