We caught on a bit late with a statement that Radhika Apte made on the Telugu film industry, also known as Tollywood. Radhika was being interviewed by Rajeev Masand and she was listing down the film industries that she has worked in. While waiting for more offers from Bollywood, Radhika took up acting assignments in other film industries. She’s quite a good actress as we have seen her in ‘Badlapur’ this year and ‘Manjhi’. When she’s known to be a good actress, it means that she will end up doing more performance oriented roles in the films that she signs. However, while listing down the industries that she has worked in, Radhika singled out Tollywood for being male dominated industry, where the female actresses don’t get much to do. People and fans from Tollywood got mad at her, but we do think it is true. Out of all the film industries in the South, Tollywood is probably the worst. The actors acting in films are sons of famous actors and some of them, their fathers are still playing the lead roles opposite young actresses. Soon after this whole thing was blown out of proportion, Radhika had to comment on why she gave such statements. Here’s what she had to say:
Radhika Apte on her comments on the Telugu Film Industry
I said what I had to. Unfortunately my comments on my experience of working in Telugu films were edited down to just a few lines in that television interview.
Radhika Apte on the Telugu Film Industry
It’s all very glaringly patriarchal in the Telugu film industry. The entire industry out there is run by generations of male actors. Female actors have no say.
Radhika on whether she had any bad experience working in Tollywood
It isn’t as if I only had bad experiences there. I made some really good friends in the Telugu film industry. And there are some really talented directors out there. But it’s really the system of work out there that I can’t deal with.
Radhika on the hate that came her way after her statement on Tollywood
I’ve been getting calls ever since I gave that television interview.I don’t want to say anything more. But I insist, it’s a patriarchal system of working that prevails in the Telugu film industry. Female actors have no say.
Radhika on the Indian Film Industries that she has worked in
Apart from Hindi, I acted in films of regional languages like Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and my mother language Marathi. But the industry in which I struggled a lot is Tollywood. It is a male dominant, male chauvinistic industry and it has become unbearable for me to work there. Actresses are not at all treated or cared about well there. I will no longer work in Telugu.