Radhika Apte Talks About Her Experience in Telugu Cinema

Bollywood actress Radhika Apte is once again in the spotlight after her comments about working in Telugu cinema went viral on social media. Her remarks about an earlier Telugu film role have attracted criticism from Telugu movie fans, with many questioning her views on the industry.

Radhika, who began her acting career in Indian cinema with films across different languages, appeared in two Telugu movies, Legend and Lion, around 10 to 12 years ago. Both films featured her alongside actor Nandamuri Balakrishna. She later focused mainly on Hindi films and projects.

Radhika Apte Recalls Her Experience in Telugu Cinema

During the promotional interviews for her latest series Akkа, Radhika spoke about the challenges she faced while working in South Indian films. Without directly mentioning the movie's name, she recalled an experience from a Telugu film in which she had to play the romantic interest of an actor much older than her.

She also mentioned that the story involved a situation where her character was required to marry her own uncle. Radhika further revealed that her character was killed halfway through the film. She shared these details in a humorous manner, and the video has since gained attention online.

Although she did not name the film, viewers believe she was referring to Legend, in which she starred opposite Balakrishna.

Telugu Movie Fans React to Her Comments

Radhika's remarks have triggered mixed reactions on social media. Several Telugu movie fans have criticised the actress, questioning why she is now speaking negatively about the film after accepting the role and working in the industry.

Some netizens have also pointed out that actresses should express their concerns about scripts and characters before agreeing to work on a project rather than making critical comments years later.

Radhika has previously spoken about the dominance of male actors in South Indian film industries. Her latest remarks have once again brought discussions about actresses' roles, age differences in on-screen romances and gender representation in Indian cinema into the spotlight.

The viral video has sparked fresh debate among Telugu audiences, with fans sharing different opinions about the actress's experience and comments.

Radhika Apte has opened up about her experience working in Telugu cinema, revealing that she was asked to marry her own cousin in a film. She also spoke about being paired opposite a much older actor and how her character was killed off halfway through the movie. The film in question is Legend (2014), starring Nandamuri Balakrishna. But if she had a problem with the storyline or romancing an older actor, wouldn't she have known about the script and the hero before signing the film? She agreed to do the movie back then, yet is raising these issues years later while calling out patriarchy in the industry.

— Amit Kumar Sindhi (@AMIT_GUJJU) November 2, 2026

"He is a such a humongous superstar" When working with balakrishna few years ago she said this, Bollywood doing all this mafia because they can't beat us & our legacy is way bigger than them across the world. Our upcoming projects really scare them 😭. https://t.co/vEqRpPU7fq

— L (@SXtreme45) November 3, 2026