Radhika Apte is a renowned Indian theatre and film actress born in Vellore, who grew up in Pune. Before venturing into films, she began her journey in theatre, and later, she pursued Economics and Mathematics at Fergusson College, Pune.
During her formative years in Pune, Radhika Apte was trained in Kathak by the exponent Rohini Bhate for eight years. Simultaneously, she developed a passion for theatre and later decided to move to Mumbai to pursue a career in the film industry.
Radhika Apte made her big-screen debut in 2005 with a small role in Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!, followed by appearances in films across various languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, and Malayalam.
Her breakthrough role came in 2009 with the Bengali social drama film Antaheen, and she later made her Marathi movie debut with 'Go Mala Asala Hawa' in 2009. In 2010, Radhika Apte appeared in Ram Gopal Verma's Rakhta Charitra and its sequel, earning a nomination for the Screen Award Best Female Debutant.
However, it was only in 2011 that Radhika Apte's career gained prominence, with appearances in two films under Ekta Kapoor's Balaji banner, I AM and Shor in the City. She is often regarded as the best indie actress of Bollywood.
Radhika Apte was nominated for the SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a supporting role for her maiden Tamil venture 'Dhoni'. She has also appeared in various Marathi plays, including 'Tu', 'Purnavira,' 'Matra Ratra', 'Kanyadaan', and more.
In 2015, Radhika Apte's career received wider recognition, with appearances in six feature films within the first eight months. Her performance in Sriram Raghvan's Badlapur (2015) received critical acclaim, earning her a nomination for the Best Supporting Actress.
In the same year, Apte appeared in a Hindi biographical film named Manjhi: The Mountain Man (2015) starring opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui, which was a commercially successful movie and earned her a nomination for the Stardust Award for the Performance of the Year(Editor's Choice).
Apart from acting in movies and theatre, Radhika Apte has also acted in original series for OOT platforms like Netflix, including Sacred Games (2018),Ghoul (2018),and Lust Stories (2018).
Radhika Apte's immense dedication and acting performances in the movies, theatre, and web series have established her as one of the top and best Bollywood actresses in recent times.
In 2018, Apte starred opposite Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor in R.Balki's Pad Man (2018),a film inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham from Tamil Nadu, who campaigned for menstrual hygiene in rural India. The film's box office collection was average, but her role received critical acclaim.