Radhika Apte: We still regard Bollywood as superior

When it comes to content, actor Radhika Apte feels the world has become “smaller and wider at the same time”, with all kinds of content, regardless of language, gaining popularity across the globe. But she notes that, somehow, “Bollywood is still regarded as being superior” to everything.

“Basically the world is becoming smaller with so much content being put out on similar platforms directly, including a lot of regional work, which is also going to festivals from be it Hindi project, Malayalam or Marathi,” she says, adding, “To the people outside of India, it doesn’t matter (what language is the project in) when they’re watching it”.

Expressing her views, the actor continues, “The content is getting a wide base regardless of the country. But we still regard Bollywood as a bit superior, which is just a perspective and is absolutely not true”.

“It is high time that we regard regional cinema and Bollywood equally so. The world has become such a small place now that we watch content from everywhere in the world. And subtitles have become quite popular, even people are getting used to watching subtitles while watching a project, especially in the cities. I hope it will spread further now. Going forward, hopefully, it will all depend on the content and not the language,” says the actor, who was last seen in psychological thriller Forensic.

This brings us to the question on the whole ongoing debate around north and south cinema. To which Apte shares, “I don’t know about this conversation about one language working well and another not working. I’m not really very tuned to most of the things and news”.

Giving a reason behind it, the 36-year-old mentions, “I try to keep away from it”.

However, she credits OTT platforms for expanding the reach of regional content in the country, as well as the international sphere.

“It is quite interesting right now. When the web space came up, it sort of opened up avenues for content and subjects that were not being dealt with in cinema and on television. Now, OTT has become television. The content is also becoming very unique,” says Apte, who has carved her path in the OTT space, and showed off her calibre in Sacred Games, Ghoul, Lust Stories, Raat Akeli Hai among others.

Now, the question that remains on the web space is — How can we get numbers in the OTT space.

“That is also very interesting and sad. I understand that they have to maintain and find the money and maintain the business. It is very distinct. I’m hoping and wondering whether it will balance itself out or not. We have to wait and see,” says the actor, who will soon be seen in Vikram Vedha.